Virudhunagar
For the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, Virudhunagar district has not reported any COVID-19 cases.
This is good news for the district that had witnessed a sudden spike of seven positive cases on April 24.
Besides, considering the fact that a total of 1,183 samples had been tested on those days and all the samples had been reported negative and the results of only 72 more samples were awaited, according to Collector R. Kannan.
Meanwhile, the Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing equipment installed in Virudhunagar Medical College Hospital was used to test samples on Wednesday.
“This is a smaller equipment and could test only samples at a time. By running the equipment for three shifts, a total of 114 samples could be tested.
Hitherto all the samples were being sent either to Madurai Medical College Hospital or Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.
“Now, with no fresh cases, all contact tracing has been completed and the testing of samples of suspected contacts has been completed,” Mr. Kannan said.
Testing of ante-natal mothers who are expecting deliveries in the next two weeks is under way. Otherwise, samples of frontline workers, including health workers, police personnel and others are under way.
Apart from the 114 samples that could be tested in Virudhunagar, the remainder of samples could be sent other testing centres, the Collector said.
Virudhunagar district has so far recorded 32 positive cases and 16 of them had already been cured and discharged from Government Rajaji Hospital.
