CHENNAI: Close to 35 percent of Chennai’s population have attended the COVID-19 fever camps held by the city corporation.
Data revealed by the civic body shows that a total of 28,71,934 people have attended the 56,480 camps held in the city till October 6.
From those who attended, 1,61,494 swab samples were taken and about 26,000 people were found to be positive. The positivity rate stands at 16 percent.
Thiruvika Nagar and Teynampet are the only two corporation zones where more than three lakh people attended the fever camps.
A high of 3,21,607 people attended the 5322 camps held at Thiruvika Nagar followed by Teynampet, where 3,09,988 people attended the 5922 camps held there.
The most cases of Influenza Like Illnesses — 24,395 — were recorded in the Teynampet Corporation Zone, followed by 19,326 cases in the Tondiarpet zone.
Even as more than 28 lakh people have been to the fever camps, the number of people attending them has decreased compared to the figures in July and August.
While an average of 30,000 people attended the camps every day until the first week of August, it gradually declined by 50 percent in September to around just 13,000 people. However, on October 6th, 21,081 people attended 441 camps.
Corporation officials said that there has been a good response in testing workers at marketplaces. “We have so far tested more than one lakh vendors from marketplaces. This testing will continue,” the official said.
Officials with the Corporation’s Public Health Department said symptomatic cases have partially reduced in the fever camps.
"Symptomatic cases have partially reduced and since late September, we have been testing asymptomatic patients who voluntarily come to the camps," an official said.
Earlier, Corporation Commissioner G Prakash had said in a press meet that the fever camps would be extended at least until December.