4 doctors infected in Tamil Nadu, total positive cases up to 738

Chennai: Amid first reports of four doctors infected by the Covid-19 coronavirus in Tamil Nadu, the total number of positive cases shot up to 738, with 48 patients testing positive on Wednesday alone.

Health secretary Beela Rajesh confirmed that four doctors have been affected by the virus so far, besides a few lab technicians. Their details are still being collected.

Of the 48 coronavirus positive cases reported on Wednesday, Dr Rajesh said 42 of them are "from one single source" (a reference to returnee from the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi).

Of them, eight persons had travelled together, 33 are their contacts and one is a foreigner (a Malaysian).

Six others who tested positive include two who have a travel history and four whose details are still being sought, the health secretary pointed out.

To a question whether there were more than 1,500 persons from Tamil Nadu who reportedly visited the Tablighi meet in Delhi in March, Dr Beela Rajesh said so far as per police, intelligence and health department inputs, they have a "reconciled" figure of 1,480 persons. If there are more people they should self-declare, she urged.

Giving the break-up of the 679 positive cases "from a single source” (returnees from the Tablighi meet), out of the total of 738 positive cases till date, Dr Rajesh said of the former seven are foreigners, 14 their contacts, 553 persons who traveled in a group and 105 their contacts.

Apart from the above, there are 59 others who have tested positive, of whom 26 have a 'travel history' and 33 "are contacts of those who traveled."

The positive cases for coronavirus from a single source as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, account for 91.50 per cent of the total positives.

Stating that the "aggressively implemented" Containment Plan (CP) to curb the virus spiral was going on in full swing and now covered 34 districts in the State, she said the total number of houses surveyed so far was 15,66,448 and the population screened was 53,67,238.

As many as 30,668 field workers are doing this job, she said.

While there was no rise in the deaths till Wednesday evening, since it touched eight on Tuesday night after a patient dying in Vellore, Dr Beela Rajesh said in the Vellore case, that patient was already in the hospital and the first test for the virus was "inconclusive".

It was during the second test, that the Vellore patient tested positive, she said, adding, despite best treatment, it was the "sudden deterioration" of such patients which is a "huge challenge to the whole world."

"This has been the nature of the disease, the sudden deterioration that happens. It is a new disease and we do the RNA test of the virus and in many cases it is inconclusive," the officer explained.

There were also cases of successful treatment, she pointed out, adverting to 21 patients discharged so far, including a 72-year-old man successfully treated at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.

To another query, she said there were enough N-95 masks on hand for field level staff and there were manufacturers in Tirupur who could make these masks and the new ones were under quality certification now.

To a related question, the health secretary said there was no shortage of chlorophyll tablets, adding, "we have procured well in advance."

Patient escapes in Villupuram

Late on Wednesday evening, a report from Villupuram said, a 30-year-old patient from Delhi, Nitin Sharma, admitted to the coronavirus ward at the Government medical college hospital there, had "escaped" from the ward.