CHENNAI: The state-reported 2,099 active Covid-19 cases with a test positivity rate (TPR) of 8 on Monday. On April 3, the TPR was 4.4 with 993 active cases and has doubled since then. A two-day preparedness drill on Covid-19 was held in government hospitals across the state on Monday to ensure readiness of hospitals for Covid-19 management.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian along with health secretary P Senthilkumar oversaw the mock drill at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Speaking to the press, the minister said face masks in public places will be made mandatory if there is an increase in Covid-19 cases. “Though cases are on the rise, no one is on oxygen requirement. The situation is not alarming now, so people need not panic.”
The state has 64,281 beds for Covid-19, of which 33,664 are oxygen beds, and 7,797 are ICU beds. Also, 24,061 oxygen concentrators, 260 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants and 130 oxygen storage units are there. The state has 342 RT PCR testing centres, of which 78 are government facilities and 264 private centres, and can test three lakh people per day. The state is in the process of increasing the tests.
“There are no clusters of Covid-19 cases now. People with symptoms of headache, fever, and cold are tested. The state conducted 1,586 fever camps after the influenza cases outbreak and 11,159 fever cases were detected. The state has no influenza cases now,” the minister said.