CHENNAI: The Statewide COVID-19 tally rose to 8,718 with 716 more people testing positive on Tuesday. Eight patients died at city hospitals, the highest in a single day so far, taking the toll to 61. Among the new cases, 510 are from Chennai. Seven of the deceased are residents of Chennai and one, Tiruvallur.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research gave approval to two medical college hospitals in the city — Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Government Medical College Hospital in Omandurar Estate — to begin “solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment.
“Solidarity” is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by World Health Organisation.
““A combination of drugs like Lopinavir and Ritonavir, another combination of Lopinavir, Ritonavir and Interferon beta 1a, apart from drugs like Hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir will be tried on people above 18 years under the supervision of a doctor. We got the approval on Tuesday and will begin the trial soon,” a health official told Express.
Meanwhile, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital began clinical trial for convalescent plasma therapy after a person who recovered recently donated his plasma. The hospital is one of the centres approved by Indian Council of Medical Research for multi-centric trial.
A media bulletin on Tuesday mentioned the “underlying cause of death” and also “mode of dying” while reporting deaths based on the new guidelines issued recently by the ICMR for reporting COVID-19 deaths.
Rs 1,000 more for archakas, workers
The State government has announced that priests and other workers of temples under the HR&CE Department will get Rs 1,000 as assistance owing to the extension of lockdown till May 17. This will be in addition to Rs 1,000 given earlier. As many as 2,108 archakas/bhattacharyas/poojaris who get only a share of the temple collection and not a salary will get Rs 1,000. Apart from this, 8,340 archakas/bhattacharyas/poojaris working in temples which receive government grant for one-time pooja, and others such as pandaram, kangani thiruvilakku, dasanambi and paricharakas will also get the assistance.