CHENNAI: Even as the city recorded 616 fresh cases, the Corporation on Saturday added another COVID care centre with 1,400 beds. Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar inaugurated the new centre in Pulianthope. The centre is in a TNSCB tenement that is yet to be occupied. "It has 24/7 surveillance, and doctors and paramedics have separate rooms," the minister said.
Every floor has oxygen support facility, and only patients with mild symptoms would be kept there, he said. "We will carefully select patients without co-morbidity, and those who are below the vulnerable age bracket," he said. Earlier, the civic body had faced several protests by local residents when they wanted to turn unoccupied TNSCB tenements into COVID care centres.
Residents in Tiruvottiyur and Ernavoor did not allow the corporation to take over the new tenements allotted to them, fearing that it may not be returned. However, officials said taking over the Pulianthope tenement was smooth. Meanwhile, the Minister said that all the 140 Urban Public Health Centres in the city have been strengthened to attend COVID patients.
"We have ensured all the fever wards are well equipped in UPHCs. Adequate volunteers have been roped in for door-to-door surveys," the minister added. Vijayabhaskar also ruled out that the corporation was not adequately testing people. "We are regularly taking tests of everyone who is coming forward. We are not denying it for anybody," he said.
With six more COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the city now has 119 deaths out of the State’s 160. As of May 30, the death toll in Royapuram is 28, while Thiruvika Nagar has 21 deaths. Anna Nagar and Teynampet have 14 deaths each while Tondiarpet has 13 deaths.