NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, APRIL 6
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edppadi K Palaniswami on Monday said order has been placed for buying one lakh Rapid Test Kits (RTKs) from China and it will arrive here on April 9 aiding quick screening for coronavirus in the State.
இன்று (6.4.2020) சென்னை தலைமைச் செயலகத்தில் "தமிழ்நாட்டில் கொரோனா வைரஸ் பரவாமல் தடுக்க பல்வேறு துறைகளின் மூலம் மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வரும் தொடர் நடவடிக்கைகள்" குறித்து அனைத்து மாவட்ட ஆட்சியர்களுடன் காணொளிக் காட்சி மூலம் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டேன்.#TNAgainstCorona #Corona #TNGovt pic.twitter.com/t8jkXeAXeH
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) April 6, 2020
The Chief Minister said adding the RTKs will be sent to all districts and testing could be done quickly for whomever needed.
“One lakh test kits have been ordered and we are getting it from China,” he told reporters adding the kits have a 30-minute window for providing results which will aid quick and more screening of people to ascertain the presence of virus.
The kits will arrive on Thursday and the following day districts could have them, he said. The Chief Minister said financial assistance worth Rs 500 crore has been received from the central government in this regard.
Also, orders have been placed for 2,500 ventilators and more masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) was being procured to meet requirements, he said.
The state has optimal inventory of drugs including antibiotics and intravenous fluids needed to treat coronavirus patients, he said.
While Tamil Nadu already has 17 testing facilities including 11 in government and six in private sectors, permission of the Central government was being awaited for 21 more testing centres.
“Medical equipment has already come and as soon we get the Central government’s permission, a total of 38 testing centres will be functional and the number of those being tested for the virus will be increased,” he said.
Stressing that isolation is the only solution to check coronavirus spread, he said the hospitals in Tamil Nadu have 3,371 ventilators.
He said about 2.10 lakh passengers have been screened at the airports in the state.
A total of 94,873 cases were registered for violation of prohibitory orders and 94,152 persons arrested and let out on bail.
The Chief Minister said based on the impact of coronavirus in the state a decision on holding the 10th standard exams will be taken.
Earlier, the Chief Minister held meeting with the district collectors’ over video conferencing on Monday from the secretariat.
Palaniswami, said the government is planning to introduce mobile vegetable shops in Chennai soon.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Health and Family Welfare Minister C. Vijayabhaskar, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development S.P. Velumani, Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Beela Rajesh among others participated in the meeting.
Earlier on Sunday, the Health Secretary Beela Rajesh had indicated that the government intended to put up testing amenities for coronavirus in all the government medical college hospitals in the state.
50 more positive cases reported on Monday
Tamil Nadu recorded 50 more Covid-19 infections on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 621 even as authorities ramped up the fight with improved containment and contact-tracing measures.
The southern state also recorded an increase in death toll to six. A 57-year-old woman admitted late on Sunday to the government hospital breathed her last on Monday morning. Test results revealed she had contracted the virus.
Health Secretary Beela Rajesh said well over 11 lakh residences are being monitored and just above 40 lakh people have been screened. The state has deployed corporation workers to go door-to-door and garner information about residents’ health and recent travel history, if any.
Out of the 50 fresh cases reported on Monday, all but two had travelled to Delhi for the Tablighi Jamaat conference. The state health secretary also extended a plea to “not stigmatise” patients with travel history to the national capital. “The virus doesn’t discriminate. Let’s take all efforts to prevent community spread,” she said.
