TIRUCHY: Amid an increase in Covid-19 cases across the country, a 12-bed Covid-19 isolation ward has been set up at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) as a precautionary measure.
Although no confirmed cases of the viral disease has been reported in the district so far, the move to open the isolation ward comes as fever cases are being more intensely monitored across the state. The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has instructed all district and city health officers to step up surveillance of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant as of May 2025, NB.1.8.1, is more transmissible but does not typically cause severe disease. Covid-19 is now considered endemic, and many cases are being identified incidentally through broad respiratory virus testing.
“There’s no reason to panic,” said Dr G Sathish Kumar, MD (General Medicine), MGMGH. “We haven’t had any confirmed Covid-19 cases yet, but we’re prepared,” he explained, pointing to the isolation facility.
With local testing not available, over 25 samples from private hospitals across Tiruchy have so far been sent to the King Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research to test for Covid-19, officials said.
Officials noted that CT scans can also help detect lung changes like Ground Glass Opacity (GGO), which may indicate Covid-19-related pneumonia. Meanwhile, a senior health department official confirmed that while earlier two doses and boosters were recommended, the supply of vaccines against Covid-19 is currently uncertain. “People don’t know where to get vaccinated now. There is no consistent supply of Covishield or other approved vaccines,” the official said.