The mounting number of COVID-19 cases has left the authorities of various districts on their toes as they seek to generate additional health infrastructure to treat patients.
Owing to an exodus of people from Chennai, where the authorities are desperately battling to control the spiralling cases, the number of patients has been witnessing a steady spike in the districts.
With medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals flooded with a steady flow of cases, they have almost run out of beds. As a consequence, authorities on the COVID-19 frontline have begun to admit patients in government hospitals (GHs).
Tiruvannamalai district has been feeling the heat with a steady flow of people returning, particularly from Chennai and other places including Maharashtra.
On Saturday, the case count in the district crossed 1000, forcing the COVID-19 warriors to leave no stone unturned in going for ‘hospital management’ and ‘health infrastructure’ capacity addition.
“Now the focus has shifted to hospital management and health infrastructure as cases continue to surge. Setting up of isolation treatment wards, creation of beds, critical care facilities are being given utmost importance to deal with the emerging situation,” KS Kandasamy, Tiruvannamalai collector, told The New Indian Express.
He added that steps are being taken to set up a COVID-19 treatment facility at SKP Engineering College (60 beds), Govt Arts College (50 beds), Old Hostel in the Govt Arts College premises (100 beds) to provide treatment for patients.
In Vellore district, officials have already initiated steps to strengthen health infrastructure as the beds at the Govt Vellore Medical College Hospital (GVMCH) have already brimming. A new facility for COVID-19 treatment will come up at the Thanthai Periyar Govt Engineering College.
Burdened with a huge number of positive cases, Ranipet district authorities are also battling to deal with the increasing cases.
“COVID-19 care centres have been already created in six places including Arignar Anna Arts College in Walaja where asymptomatic positive patients were admitted,” said a senior health department officer.
With GVMCH running out of beds, GHs in Tirupathur district have been directed to admit COVID-19 patients. A COVID-19 virus testing laboratory has been established at the Taluk Headquarters hospital in Tirupathur town.