PUDUCHERRY: Six security personnel of JIPMER are among the nine who tested positive for COVID-19 here on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to 99 in the UT, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said.
In addition to the six, another person working in the JIPMER laundry and a businessman who travels to Cuddalore daily and returns to Puducherry also tested positive. All eight have been admitted in JIPMER. One other patient who is the driver of a contact has been admitted in Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMCRI) .
With three patients discharged after having recovered, the number of active cases in Puducherry is now 63. While 36 patients are in IGMCRI, 25 are in JIPMER and one each in Chennai and Salem, said the minister. A total of nine security guards of JIPMER including the chief supervisor, belonging to the same security agency, are among the active cases.
The number of patients has been rising since the relaxation of the lockdown after only three cases in the first 50 days. In June and July, the average cases per month could rise to 500 for which infrastructure has to be made ready, said the minister.
Now, in some states due to rise in cases and paucity of beds, even positive cases without any comorbidity are allowed to stay in their own homes after signing an affidavit, said the Health Minister. People should realise this and take necessary precautions while moving out, he added. Health Secretary Prashant Kumar Panda advised people to look at the details of the infrastructural facilities for COVID-19 put up on the medical college’s website.