CHENNAI: With 1,116 fresh cases, Chennai pushed Tamil Nadu’s day-long tally to a new high of 1,438 on Friday. The toll in the State, too, went up to 232, with 12 deaths in the 40-90 age group. Chennai alone accounts for 19,826 cases, which is 69 per cent of the State’s total of 28,694.
To handle Chennai’s unabated spike, the State government has deputed five senior Ministers to oversee relief work in 15 Corporation zones. Each of the ministers will be in charge of specified zones to ensure smoother operations: D Jayakumar (Madhavaram, Tondiarpet, Royapuram), KP Anbalagan (Adyar, Perungudi, Sholinganallur), R Kamaraj (Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam), RB Udhayakumar (Thiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram) and MR Vijayabhaskar (Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur).
The government has also planned a portal to give information about vacancies in Chennai’s private hospitals to help people check availability. Speaking to reporters through video conference, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said the government would link 30 private hospitals and upload their bed occupancy status on a portal. The move comes after people complained about lack of beds and shifting of patients from one hospital to another.
Vijaya Baskar also said, “The Indian Council for Medical Research gave approval to start BCG vaccine trial to protect the vulnerable age group (over 60). The government will begin the trial within a couple of days. The study will focus on the vaccine’s potential in reducing the chance of deaths in the vulnerable group.”
He also denied allegations that the State was not revealing the correct number of cases and deaths. “We have not reduced the number of samples being tested. On Friday, 15,692 samples were tested,” he said.