Covid-19 patients' kin will be tested at doorstep: Minister

The Tamil Nadu government has taken steps to identify those with coronavirus by going door-to-door to contain the spread of the infection in the district, state Municipal Administration Minister, S P Velumani said Thursday.

For this purpose, 20 mobile testing vehicles would be used. The vehicles would have a lab technician, a nurse and a health worker, he said during a review meeting of Covid-19 situation with senior officials of various departments here.

He said the ambulances would go to houses of those who had already tested Covid-19 positive, and test their family members and others in contact. The Minister further said those testing positive would be sent for treatment.

This would help control the spread, he said. On an average 7,000 people have been undergoing the test daily in the district and so far 3.39 lakh have undergone such tests, he said.

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Of the 27,157 who tested positive, 22,181 hgave been discharged and 4,584 undergoing treatment at various hospitals. So far, 392 deaths have been reported, he said. Of the 812 patients treated with Siddha medicine, 750 recovered and 62 under treatment, Velumani said.

District Collector K Rajamani, city Police Commissioner Sumit Saran, West Zone IG K Periaiah, Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital Dean Dr Kalidasu and ESI Hospital Dean Dr Nirmala were among those present at the meeting.