One more tests positive for COVID-19 in Puducherry, tally rises to 4

One more person tested positive for COVID-19 in Puducherry on Saturday, pushing the tally to four.

Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar told reporters here that the 18-year-old patient now admitted to the Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital has contact history as he is related to one of the three patients undergoing treatment for some days now. With this the total active cases in the Union Territory has risen to four.

The hospital would conduct one more test on Sunday on the remaining one patient and also ascertain whether any one had had contact history Kumar said the Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital was a designated hospital authorised by the ICMR to conduct the tests. "There are facilities to test atleast 50 patients every day," he said adding that the hospital uses the RTPCR equipment to conduct the test.

The RT kits received from the Centre were not used as the ICMR had asked the health department here to avoid using the RT kits for some days now. The Director said the Health Ministry had sent a circular to take all steps to protect the doctors, nurses and other health professionals involved in the treatment of the COVID 19 patients here. "If there is any insecurity to the doctors and others they can report to a Nodal Officer appointed by the Police Department for follow up action," it said.

The culprits posing threat or inflicting violence on doctors would face stringent action and suffer serious imprisonment as envisaged under the law. Kumar said as there was inflow of patients from neighbouring Tamil Nadu districts of Villupuram and Cuddalore, to Puducherry, a team of doctors have been stationed at the entry points.

They would ascertain the seriousness of the condition of the patients coming to Puducherry from the neighbouring districts identified as hotspots and only very serious and emergency cases would be permitted to get treatment here.