Fresh infections, fatalities mount in Tamil Nadu districts

Fresh infections and fatalities due to Coronavirus infection was on a high in the three districts adjoining Chennai on Wednesday when the total death toll was 112 and new cases 5175 in the State.

Compared to neighbouring districts - Chengalpattu 487 infections and seven deaths, Kanchipuram 342 cases and six deaths and Thiruvallur 472 cases and six deaths – Chennai’s infection rate was low at 1044 and death toll was 25.

Two film personalities tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday – singer S P Balasubramaniam and actor and politician Karunas – when a total of 59,156 persons underwent the test through the State.

Advising people not to ignore feverish feelings but seek early medical help, State Health Minister C Vijaybaskar said the government had improved the facilities for treatment in the government hospitals in Chennai.

After inspecting the facilities at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, Vijaybaskar said there were 150 ICU beds in RGGGH, from where over 15,000 persons had been discharged following successful treatment.

Rising to the needs of the patients admitted to the hospital, the government had now appointed feeding nurses to help those who were unable to eat on their own. Those nurses would feed the patients and help them take the medicines on time.

Among the new things introduced were the zero-delay admissions and zero-delay out patient service, through which patients were attended to immediately on their arrival at the hospital, he said. By utilizing the pre-arrival intimation facility, patients can help the hospitals attend to them quickly, he said.

The mobile call facility through which consultations could be had over phone, 25,000 persons had benefited, he added.