Tamil Nadu launches intensive micro-plan to contain corona in red zones
CHENNAI: Amid yet another spike of 743 Covid-19 positive cases in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday with Chennai alone accounting for 557 new coronavirus cases, State Health minister along with corporation officials launched an intensive 'micro-plan' to control and contain the virus infection in 34 most affected wards spread over three municipal zones in Chennai.
The Covid-19 picture for the State on Wednesday was far from encouraging, as the total number of persons testing positive for the virus in Tamil Nadu till date hit a new high of 13,191. Of the new cases for the day, 83 returnees from Maharashtra tested positive for the virus at various check-points.
The total number of positive cases in Chennai alone is a staggering 8,228, even as three more deaths took the state's death toll due to the virus to 87 on Wednesday. However, only one of three deaths confirmed today - a 44-year-old woman from Thiruvallur district, died of respiratory failure and viral pneumonia. Two other patients who died in Chennai government hospitals today suffered from co-morbidities like diabetes and heart issues.
Taking a serious view of the continuing spread of the infection in greater Chennai, the Health minister, Dr C Vijayabaskar met with the Dean and Covid-19 task force team at the Government Stanley Medical College hospital and assessed the current situation. "Discussed the testing protocols and the comprehensive treatment plans," he tweeted later.
Earlier, Dr Vijayabaskar, the senior nodal officer to the Chennai Corporation, Dr J Radhakrishnan, and the Corporation Commissioner, G. Prakash, and other top experts launched the special intensive micro-plan, under the name and style, 'Namma Chennai Covid Virattum Thittam' at Royapuram, one of the worst affected places due to the virus, which in fact accounts for the maximum for any neighbourhood in the city. The other two badly hit zones in the city are Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar and Kodambakkam.
Dr Vijayabaskar said special attention will be paid in those most vulnerable wards in the city by a 500-member team including 120 sanitary inspectors. The team members would be going from door-to-door, screen everyone and test them with help of a mobile testing lab pressed into service, which is the heart of a mini-camp they will put up from place to place, he said.
If anyone tests positive for the virus after the initial screening and PCR test, the regular protocols will take over - isolation, quarantine and hospital treatment as the case may be, Dr Vijayabaskar said.
Each household will be given a medical kit including the herbal drink powder 'Kabasura Kudineer', zinc and multi-vitamin tablets, he said, adding, facial masks and sanitizers will also be provided. Entire stretches of colonies will be disinfected. This highly focused special programme for Chennai should help in stopping the infection spread, he added.
