Additional precautionary measures have been taken in Tamil Nadu in view of the large number of COVID-19 cases that have been reported in neighbouring Kerala, and people need not panic, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said in Tiruchi on Sunday.
The Minister said there had been no additional cases in the State other than the one reported in Chennai. “The patient who tested positive and [was] admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai will be discharged tomorrow (Monday) as he is recovering well,” he said.
“The four patients that were admitted to the isolation ward in Tiruchi are currently asymptomatic and are only under observation,” Mr. Vijayabaskar told reporters after carrying out a surprise inspection of the isolation wards at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) along with District Collector S. Sivarasu.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had provided a detailed protocol to be followed by all government hospitals, and MGMGH was complying with the same, he said.
Mr. Vijayabaskar said that with the addition of the Tirunelveli Medical College on Saturday, Tamil Nadu now had four testing facilities for SARS-CoV-2.
"There will soon be four more facilities, including one at the Madras Medical College, to carry out the tests,” he said.
He said private hospitals were coming forward to set up isolation wards for COVID-19. “The deans of government hospitals and a microbiologist will be asked to inspect the isolation wards at the private hospitals and give their approval before these hospitals can begin admitting patients,” the Minister added.
