There has been a significant rise in COVID-19 positivity rate in Madurai district in the last 10 days. While the positivity rate in district stood at 5.12% on Wednesday. It was, however, 8.14% on Monday.
The district recorded 234 fresh cases on Thursday, as per the bulletin released by the public health department. The active cases in Madurai are 1,719.
The positive cases have been rising from the last week of March during the second wave of the pandemic. Health officials have also increased the number of samples lifted every day since April - 4,299 people were tested for COVID-19 on April 13 alone.
Former Director of Public Health K. Kolandaisamy said the rise in cases and positivity rate indicated how bad the spread of COVID-19 was in the district. A comparison of the number of positive cases recorded in proportion to the population showed that the situation in Chennai and Madurai were equally bad.
Compared to last year, more number of vulnerable persons were being infected by coronavirus. This will increase the need for hospital admission, especially oxygen requirement.
Crowded places and closed spaces without proper ventilation were the major risk spots for COVID-19 cases. In large textile showrooms, supermarkets, shopping complexes, and commercial establishments, proper ventilation must be ensured.
In hospitals, only one attendant must be allowed to be with the patient and visitors should not be allowed inside hospitals. Crowding must be avoided at marriages and funerals as these were spots from where COVID-19 could spread in a big way.
