Puducherry to seek expertise of WHO chief scientist over Covid-19 death rate, says CM

Jolted by the two per cent Covid-19 fatality rate here, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday said the territorial government would consult the World Health Organization (WHO) for steps to reduce the rate.

Addressing reporters here, the Chief Minister said a meeting has been planned with WHO chief scientist Sowmya Swaminathan next week, to get suggestions and recommendations to cut the death rate. "Once again, we will have a meeting with Sowmya Swaminathan and officials of the Health Department of Puducherry on the issue," he said.

Swaminathan visited Puducherry sometime ago and came to know of the measures taken to battle the pandemic.

Stating that the recovery rate was around 77 per cent in Puducherry and the fatality rate should be specifically looked at, he said he was unhappy over the continued carelessness on the part of the people in adhering to the Covid-19 safety norms.

The Chief Minister said one could see a large turnout of guests at weddings and funerals, which could lead to infection. He voiced concern over the people not cooperating with medical teams during their visit to the residences to collect details of the health status of the household. He said infrastructure was available in the government-run and private medical college hospitals. Therefore, he said, people having even the slightest of symptoms of coronavirus should not delay or hesitate to approach hospitals. "We have already utilised the funds from the Chief Minister's Covid-19 Fund and also from the budget of the Health Department," he said. Narayanasamy said the Centre has not come to the rescue despite several pleas for financial support to tackle the pandemic.

Under such circumstances, he said, industrialists, businessmen, traders and members of the public should contribute liberally to help the government meet its expenditure. Strengthening manpower and augmenting infrastructure have already been done by the government. Meanwhile, the Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao, speaking to reporters through virtual press conference, said the pandemic appears to continue for the next five months. Hence, he said, people should be more careful and cautious in observing safety protocols.