CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu recorded 49 new COVID-19 positive cases on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the State to 1,372.
Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said three more testing labs have been set up, while 82 people were discharged on Saturday, taking the total number of people discharged to 365.
Addressing reporters here, he said that the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital is ready for plasma testing and further research is going on.
“We sent two requests to ICMR for approval of plasma treatment. The approval for one has come, and research on it will begin soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old policeman, a native of Perambalur, attached with Thalaivasal station in Salem has tested positive for COVID-19.
About 36 home guards and volunteers, who worked alongside him are home quarantined. He is admitted in the isolation ward at Tiruchy GH.
Vijayabaskar said that the government has been tracking changes in the lungs of patients through x-ray scans even if they are asymptomatic.
“Many patients have thanked us for taking good care of them. We are providing nutritious food with the advice of dieticians,” added Vijayabaskar.
The treatment protocol is changing everyday worldwide and said that officials participated in a global video conference about containing the virus on Friday.
“We have also been auditing deaths, and have set up a special group to monitor the deaths. Over 95 per cent of patients are asymptomatic and we divide the patients, who are prone to high risk, to prevent any collapse of health,” he said. Only because of such efforts, the State has been able to maintain the 1.1 per cent mortality rate, said the health minister.
“Even if people had common cold or cough, we compulsorily test. We don’t miss out on any patients with symptoms,” he assured. He lauded the aggressive testing done by the health department, and the containment plan executed by Chennai Corporation.
“Our capacity to test has gone up to 5,363 today, because of the availability of more testing labs. Monitoring done by the civic bodies and police also played a vital role in increased testing,” he observed.
All set for plasma testing
The Health Minister said that Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital is ready to perform plasma testing and further research is on. ICMR has approved one of the two govt proposals made for plasma treatment.