CHENNAI: In the wake of growing Covid-19 cases, the city corporation has restarted its Covid care centre in Athipattu. The civic body is also in the process of setting up at least three more centres as a preparatory measure, according to senior corporation officials. Apart from the 6,000-bedded facility in Athipattu near Ambattur, two more centres are being readied in Anna University, and a third one at Victoria Hospital, the officials said.
“We are geared up to face even the worst scenario of last year’s peak,” Corporation Commissioner G Prakash told Express. According to a Corporation health official, the care centre in Athipattu has 19 floors with facilities such as water heaters, CCTV surveillance and Reverse Osmosis units. “It has been in operation since Monday. As on Wednesday, there are 25 patients accommodated in Athipattu,” a corporation official said.
After the number of Covid-19 cases dropped in the end of last year, many of these facilities were closed and handed over to the concerned agencies in possession of the premises. In November last year, the 50-odd care centres that were operated by the city corporation were closed and returned except for the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements in KP Park, which had a capacity to accommodate around 1,000 patients.
However, in January, the KP Park facility too was closed. “The KP Park facility has not been open for the last two months. There is a request for it to be reopened since it was considered one of the best facilities for those with mild and moderate symptoms. A decision has not been taken on opening it yet,” said a Corporation health official. As on Wednesday, there were 3,751 active Covid-19 cases in the city. A total of 5.67 lakh people have been vaccinated so far.