The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai has established an exclusive 120-bed ward for treating patients and contacts suspected to have contracted a new strain of the novel coronavirus, first reported in the United Kingdom. Tamil Nadu has no confirmed case of the new strain.
The protocol for treatment of these patients would be more stringent. “Only senior doctors and nurses would be allowed to treat them. They would wear PPE [personal protective equipment] at all times,” Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said.
Until Friday evening, “no one has been confirmed as the U.K. case, and we need to wait for a genomic analysis.” The ward is on the fourth floor of tower 3 of the RGGGH.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said the decision to open an exclusive ward was taken following an advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.
Meanwhile, four more passengers who had returned from the U.K. tested positive for COVID-19.
Earlier, one passenger had tested positive. He is at the RGGGH.
Among the returnees are two from Tiruvidaimarudhur in Thanjavur, one from Madurai and one from Mogappair, Chennai. All of them were admitted to medical college hospitals in separate wards. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for a genomic analysis on Thursday, and the results were awaited, Mr. Radhakrishnan said.
“The patient in Madurai has been asymptomatic. We have also identified 11 contacts of three persons who tested positive. They are asymptomatic, and being treated at medical college hospitals. A high-level team is monitoring them and checking their blood profile and CT scan, and their parameters are under control,” the Health Secretary said. Their vital parameters are checked at least once daily.
“We are awaiting the results from Pune. We expect that the result of the sample sent already would be received in the next couple of days,” he said.
The person from Madurai had arrived late last month and the Thanjavur passengers had arrived through Delhi on December 16. The fourth person, from Chennai, had arrived on December 17. Until Thursday, there were 2,805 returnees. “Some had registered in two districts. Taking that into account, 415 persons were subtracted to arrive at the figure of 2,390 persons,” he said.
The samples of 1,126 persons had already been taken. Samples from the rest were being lifted.
Of those identified, 1,034 were from Chennai; 226 from Chengalpattu; 202 from Kancheepuram; 110 from Coimbatore; 107 from Tiruchi; 22 from Madurai; 72 from Thanjavur; 71 from Tiruvallur; 38 from Tiruvarur; 39 from Nagapattinam; 36 from Cuddalore; and 34 from Tirunelveli.
Until Thursday, the results in respect of 440 samples had been received.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said nine persons who had arrived by a cargo flight on Thursday night had also tested negative.
The Directorate of Public Health has appealed to people who returned by flight between November 25 and December 23 to voluntarily come forward for a RT-PCR test. Doubts can be clarified by calling ‘104’.
