MAYILADUTHURI: The Mayiladuthurai Government Medical Hospital on Tuesday was overflowing with patients who arrived from Chennai, including Koyambedu. So far, 202 people have been admitted to the GH and a nearby quarantine facility.
All returned from Chennai to Mayiladuthurai in the past couple of days with 171 admitted and their samples being collected for testing. “At least 70 people among those admitted in GH had either been to Koyambedu or worked there recently. The remaining people include those who are from other parts of Chennai who may have contact history. We have admitted another 31 of them in a quarantine facility in a private college near Mayiladuthurai as our hospital beds became full. We are waiting for their results,” said Dr R Mahendran, a senior medical official in Mayiladuthurai.
Of the 171 admitted, 118 are men, 38 are women, nine are male children and six are female children. Among the 31 people admitted to the quarantine facility, 14 are men, eight are women, five are male children and two are female children. Officials stated they would move people from isolation to treatment only after a positive diagnosis.
Meanwhile, at least eight people have been admitted in Nagapattinam. “We are trying to trace if there are people out there beyond our watch. We will test these eight people and know the results in a few days,” said Dr Liyakath Ali, district epidemiologist. Health officials stated that more cases are being admitted in Mayiladuthurai compared to Nagapattinam as the former is comparatively closer to Chennai. There are 45 positive cases in Nagapattinam with 44 of them discharged. The only active case is a 62-year-old man from Ulutthukkuppai village near Mayiladuthurai. He returned from a pilgrimage to Puttaparthi this
past week. His travel companions and family members have tested negative.