CHENNAI: Active cases in the city dropped to 11.3 per cent on Tuesday, after a total of 1,143 people were discharged, taking the total number of discharges to 89,969. So far, 86.4 per cent people have recovered in the city, and the recovery percentage is only next to Delhi (89 per cent).
Seven corporation zones in the city have active cases of 11 per cent and below, while four zones have active cases in single digit percentage.Interestingly, Manali zone could soon be the first to hit active cases in double digits as currently, it has only 113 active cases (6 per cent).
Meanwhile, only three zones – Ambattur, Anna Nagar, and Kodambakkam – have active cases of over a thousand, and among them, Ambattur has the highest active case load of 22 per cent. Experts opine that a cause for concern, despite the high discharge rate, is the lack of donors for convalescent plasma therapy. Dr S Subhash, Head of Blood Transfusion Department at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) said, only 60 people had donated plasma in the city, so far.
“We constantly follow up with patients once they are discharged. We expect more people to come forward and donate plasma,” he said.Former Director of Public Health Dr K Kolandasamy said that plasma therapy was very useful in facilitating recovery, and that awareness on it must be increased.
“Most people are drained and tired when they leave the hospital, and that could be a reason why there are less donors. Dialogue on awareness during discharge can play a role,’’ he said. So far, 24 of the 26 patients, to whom plasma therapy was administered, have shown improvement.