Public response to the COVID-19 vaccination programme has improved in Tiruchi amidst an increase in the number of positive cases in the district.
The number of people visiting vaccination centres has increased since April 1 when it was opened for all over the age of 45. The district administration had permitted Mini Clinics, primary healthcare centres to administer the jab. At the Tiruchi Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital, nearly 600 to 700 people receive the shot daily, while across the district, at least 4000 people are inoculated every day. "We need to continue to go to work to sustain ourselves and our families. With rise in cases, we must do everything we can to protect ourselves,’ M. Saindhavi, who had taken a shot on Friday said.
A meeting has been scheduled with officials of the Labour Department and various representatives of industries and factories across the district to vaccinate their employees. ‘We plan to conduct camps within their campus,’ a senior health official said.
While there was a depletion in the stock of vaccines, especially Covaxin, the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and the state Health Department was working towards replenishing it, an official said.
Meanwhile, following instructions given by Collector S. Divyadharshini, infrastructure to treat COVID patients is being readied. Two COVID-19 care centres - one at the Bharathidasan University, Khajamalai campus, with a 200-bed capacity, and one at the Government Engineering College, Sethurapatti, with 600 beds have been arranged. ‘All necessary arrangements have been made and on Friday, around 13 patients were admitted to the facility at Khajamalai,’ S. Ram Ganesh, Deputy Director of Health Services, said.
Mr. Ganesh said severely sick patients and those over the age of 50 would be admitted to the Tiruchi MGMGH while stable patients who require some monitoring would be admitted to the Khajamalai campus. Patients who are asymptomatic and less than 40-years-old would be admitted at Sethurapatti. ‘We have been instructed not to approve home quarantine for patients unless absolutely necessary. It is possible for the viral infection to spread at home as the slightest slip-up may occur,’ he said.
Meanwhile, eight medical teams, consisting of healthcare workers trained to lift nasal swabs have been deputed from the DPH to the Tiruchi City Corporation to increase testing as more cases are being recorded within city limits. ‘A total of 11 teams, including the three already working with the civic body will conduct tests in the district. Fever camps in all Primary Healthcare Centres will continue,’ he said.
Thanjavur
Localities where three or more persons test positive for COVID-19 will be declared as containment zones, says Collector, M.Govinda Rao.
Disclosing this after inspecting the measures initiated to check the spreading of novel coronavirus at Pattukottai on Friday, he said not less than 2500 persons were being tested for COVID-19 infection per day. In case anyone tests positive their contacts were traced immediately and such persons were being screened for the symptoms.
Necessary arrangements have been put in place by the civic bodies to mitigate the problems faced by the residents in containment zones.
Meanwhile, the number of persons opting to take the vaccination has seen an upward trend in the urban localities. While a steady flow of persons volunteering to take the shot is recorded at the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, people have started going to the government hospitals/the designated urban primary health centres such as in Kumbakonam Municipality.
As of April 9, around 70,000 persons have taken the vaccine shot in the district, he Collector.
