The Greater Chennai Corporation will start sending teams of doctors and nurses to the residences of COVID-19 patients under home quarantine to provide quality healthcare at their doorsteps, Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash said on Friday.
Mr. Prakash told journalists that the civic body had hired 120 additional doctors and 100 nurses.
“Over 320 doctors will go to the field. They will visit the homes of patients to check up on their health and well-being. More than 70% of the 33,500 active cases are in home quarantine,” he said.
Referring to the data about 13% of active cases needing high-grade treatment, he said the number of persons who need such treatment would increase.
“We have taken measures to provide high-grade treatment to more than 4,000 patients. We will get 1,000 beds at the Chennai Trade Centre, with 860 oxygen beds and 140 normal beds,” Mr. Prakash said.
The Corporation will develop 100 oxygen beds in Injambakkam, 100 in Manali and 240 at the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet in 10 days.
The number of cases per day in the 15 zones has increased from 2,350 during the peak of the first wave last year to 6,200 during the second wave now.
Mr. Prakash said the Corporation would not start administering vaccines to persons aged above 18 on Saturday because of the delay in getting additional stock. “We have covered 65% of the eligible population. Over 16.2 lakh persons have received vaccination in the city,” he added.
