Chennai nears 20,000 COVID-19 cases; containment efforts stepped up

With 1,116 persons testing positive for Coronavirus in this metropolis alone on Friday taking the tally here to 19,826 cases, the Tamil Nadu government has stepped up its efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 by appointing senior ministers to oversee relief and coordination works.

And Friday saw the state registering its biggest single-day spike in numbers with 1,438 persons, including 33 who returned from abroad and other states, testing positive for Coronavirus.

Tamil Nadu’s tally now stands at 28,694 including 15,762 discharges and 232 deaths – 12 of which were reported on Friday – this is the second consecutive day the number of deceased remaining at the same number. The recovery rate in the state is above 50 per cent. The Health Bulletin said 11 out of 12 who were reported dead on Friday had comorbid conditions.

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However, Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar said the mortality rate in the state was below 1 percent and asked the opposition and media to desist from “demoralizing” the frontline workers by levelling allegations of “under-reporting of deaths” and “not maintaining transparency”.

As Chennai continues to grapple with nearly 20,000 cases, the government decided to field five senior ministers to oversee the relief and coordination works. Each minister has been allotted three zones each and they will coordinate the containment and relief works there, government sources said.

Already, the government has appointed seasoned bureaucrat J Radhakrishnan as the special nodal officer for Chennai, who has been at the forefront of the containment activities. Majority of the cases in Chennai come from six zones, three of which house the most populated areas in the city, and the city administration has been asking people to wear masks and maintain physical distance to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

A Government Order (GO) said Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Higher Education Minister K P Anbalagan, Food Minister R Kamaraj, Revenue and I&T Minister R B Udhayakumar and Transport Minister M R Vijayabhaskar will oversee the “coordination and relief works” being done by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and field support teams in the respective zones.

Even as the cases are increasing in the state, especially in Chennai, the government reduced the testing numbers from 16,447 on Thursday to 15,692 on Friday. Experts say the government should increase its testing numbers immediately to prevent further spread of the virus as it would help identify carriers of the virus and isolate them.