PUDUCHERRY: Ten more persons have succumbed to COVID-19 while 511 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours ending at 10 AM on Thursday, taking the total cases to 12, 434, active cases to 4,483, and deaths to 190 on Thursday.
Releasing the information, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said that among the new cases, 461 cases are in the Puducherry region, 31 in Karaikal region, 13 in Yanam region and six in Mahe region.
As many as 2,356 COVID-19 positive people are in home isolation while 2,127 are admitted to hospitals.
Out of 2,127 persons undergoing treatment in hospitals, 1,952 are in the Puducherry region, 100 in Karaikal, 62 in Yanam, and 13 in Mahe.
Out of 2,356 cases in home isolation, 2,167 are in Puducherry, 129 in Karaikal, and 60 in Yanam. Eight people died in Puducherry while two passed away in Yanam.
As many as 7,761 COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged including 275 on Thursday.
The fatality rate is currently at 1.51 percent while the recovery rate is at 62.42 percent.
With the toll surging, the government is exploring ways and means to reduce the deaths. Health minister Malladi Krishna Rao said that he along with Chief Minister V Narayanasamy sought an opinion from the JIPMER and ICMR committees as well as other experts on preventing deaths due to COVID-19. "There have been some suggestions which we will implement," said the health minister.
During his discussion with the two teams deputed by the Union government, he said the guidelines of the Centre are being followed 100 percent and wanted to know what more could be done to reduce the cases.
The number of samples tested has been raised to 1486. By weekend it will be raised to 2000 and by next week it will be raised to 3000. The expert committees have also suggested enhancing testing. Facilities for this will be set up in around 30 places.
Rapid testing for COVID-19 has commenced at the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute and up to 400 samples per day could be tested, said Malladi Krishna Rao who visited the hospital on Thursday morning. He said schools may be opened next month and if so tests would be conducted there.
Door to door surveys will be resumed once again to look for people having any kind of symptoms and test them. Four rounds have already been completed.