NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, AUG 17
Four more people including a 80-year old man succumbed to COVID-19 as the death toll in Puducherry rose to 114, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said on Monday.
புதுச்சேரி சுகாதார அமைச்சர் திரு மல்லாடி கிருஷ்ணாராவ் ஊடகவியலாளர் சந்திப்பில் பேசுகிறார்.#CoronaUpdates #Puducherry #staysafe
@malladi4people @ROBCHENNAI_MIB @pibchennai @BOC_MIB pic.twitter.com/6rqYFqVsGu
— Central Bureau of Communication, Puducherry (@CBCPONDY_MIB) August 17, 2020
Also, 302 fresh coronavirus cases were reported, taking the overall tally in the union territory to 8,029, the Minister said at a virtual press conference.
He said while 3,288 out of the total 8,029 cases were active, as many as 4,627 patients had recovered and had been discharged so far.
The Puducherry region accounted for 299 new cases of the 302 new infections while the Yanam region had three.
He said so far 55,937 samples were tested and it was found that 46,456 of them were negative and results of the examination of the remaining specimens were awaited.
The rate of positivity was 27.76 per cent while fatality and recovery rates were 1.42 per cent and 57.63 per cent respectively.
The Health Minister said 184 patients recovered and were discharged during the last 24 hours.
While three of the four deaths (including a woman) were reported at the Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital, one male patient died in the GH in Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry in Andhra Pradesh.
The age group of the deceased patients ranged between 45 and 80 years and three of them had comorbidities, Rao said.
Total lockdown in Yanam on Sundays: Health Minister
Malladi Krishna Rao Yanam region, an enclave of the Union Territory in Andhra Pradesh would be fully locked down every Sunday as is the case in the neighbouring state.
He said the number of pandemic stricken cases was on the increase in Yanam, his constituency. He said that while Puducherry, Karaikal and Mahe would have total lockdown on Tuesdays, Yanam region would have it on Sundays. The Minister said Yanam was witnessing what he called as a piquant situation as doctors engaged on contract in the general hospital there have been quitting as their salary was lesser than what their counterparts in neighbouring states were getting.
He said each of the doctors on contract was paid Rs 40,000 while it was Rs 65,000 for those in neighbouring states. At least Rs 55,000 may be sanctioned to the contract doctors in the Union Territory, he said.
Specialist doctors were not available in Yanam and doctors in Puducherry were paid Rs 70,000. He said he had taken up the issue with the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.
