Tamil Nadu reported 98 more cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Monday. With this, the total number of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the State has reached 1,173.
Of the fresh cases, 91 were from a single source, four were contacts of a person who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier, and three were doctors, according to Health Secretary Beela Rajesh.
She said that till Sunday, a total of eight doctors had tested positive, while three more — two government doctors and one private doctor — had tested positive since then. With this, a total of 11 doctors and five staff nurses/hospital staff have tested positive in the State.
Eleven persons have died of COVID-19 in T.N. so far.
As many as 58 patients had been discharged after treatment from various hospitals in the State, Dr. Rajesh said. Among the 1,173 COVID-19-positive patients, 31 were below the age of 10, she added.
Among the 98 fresh cases, most of the patients were contacts of earlier patients. Tiruppur reported the highest number of cases — 18. This apart, two persons from Chengalpattu, 9 from Chennai, seven (including two primary) from Coimbatore, 15 from Karur, 14 (seven primary) from Madurai, five from Nagapattinam, three from Ramanathapuram, four from Sivaganga, one from Tirupattur, four from Tiruvallur, one from Tiruvannamalai, three from Tiruvarur, two from Thoothukudi, four from Vellore and six from Virudhunagar had reported positive.
The total number of patients in Chennai rose to 205, followed by Coimbatore, with 126. Samples were lifted from 62 persons who had been hospitalised for severe acute respiratory infection, and none of them had tested positive for COVID-19, she said. “As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, we have been successful in identifying the source of infection of patients. Based on this, we are taking up aggressive containment measures. Our aim is to keep the number of deaths down,” she said.
When asked about the death of an employee of a private airline, she said all the contacts of the patient had been traced. While testing was being done for high-risk contacts, low-risk contacts were being put under home quarantine, she said.
The State has a total of 25 testing facilities in the government sector and 9 in the private sector. Two new laboratories had been approved — at the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital and the State Public Health Laboratory in Chennai, she said.
Monday recorded the highest number of samples lifted for testing — 2,091.
Rapid test kits
Dr. Rajesh said rapid test kits were expected to arrive in a day or two. “Rapid test kits are only a surveillance tool. We are not waiting for it. We already have the confirmatory tests (RT-PCR). We are taking up massive and aggressive testing of all persons with influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infection, and high-risk and low-risk contacts in containment areas,” she said.
She said the State had received 10,000 PCR testing kits from the Centre. “In addition, we have procured 14,000 kits. We have placed orders for 1.3 lakh more PCR testing kits. The shipment has already reached Mumbai and is likely to reach us in a day or two,” she said. “The State is well-prepared and has adequate stock [of protective equipment]. Now, we have 65 lakh triple-layer masks, three lakh N95 masks and two lakh [pieces of] PPE (personal protective equipment). We have a total of 3,371 ventilators,” she added.
A total of 1,984 persons were in isolation facilities at hospitals across T.N. A total of 43,278 persons were under home quarantine and 162 in government quarantine facilities, she said.
