CHENNAI: In the highest-ever one-day spike of persons testing positive for Covid-19, novel coronavirus, Tamil Nadu added 2,532 positive cases on Sunday, taking the total number of confirmed positive patients in the state till date to 59,377. Of the new cases today, Chennai alone added 1,493, even as 53 deaths took the total death toll due to the virus to 757.
The galloping numbers both in the districts and in Chennai is beginning to put pressure on the government to look at indigneous complementary modes of treatment which are efficacious, at least to dispel the mood of dismay among the people at large as the cold statistics mount every day.
This was partly reflected in the State Health Minister, Dr C Vijayabaskar's tweet on Sunday coinciding with the 'World Yoga Day'. He said in his message, "Yoga refreshes the body and the mind. Let's adapt natural immunity boosting measures, during #Covid-19; Practice # Yoga and stay healthy."
In fact, at the 'fever clinics' that have been increased in greater Chennai, visitors are regularly given 'Kabasura Kudineer', the herbal drink as an immunity boost measure, but something more is needed to boost the confidence of the people at large, a source closely tracking the trends says.
CIVIC BODY GETS MORE PROACTIVE
While Chennai as a whole continues to blaze ahead in the upswing in Covid-19 positive cases, one significant zonal variation in the spread of the infection was seen today, as per the figures released by the Chennai Corporation. For example, the Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar zone, one of the hot-spots on the top of the list for a month now, today slipped to the sixth position among the 15 zones, reporting 3,440 positive cases.
Royapuram zone continues to rule high with 6,148 cases followed by Tondairpet 4,963 cases, Teynampet-4,785, Kodambakkam-4,329 and Annanagar-4,142.
A Chennai Corporation official said one of the reasons for a significant drop in the new Covid-19 positive cases in Thiru.Vi.Ka.Nagar was that the patients were isolated and quarantined without any emotional stress. A What'sApp group was formed as a communicative interface to reach essential articles to the affected people whenever they needed provisions or medicines, besides a call centre for urgent responses. The civic body plans to extend this patient management model to other zones, he said.
BUZZ ABOUT 2 MINISTERS
Even as there was buzz about the State Law Minister, Mr.C.Ve. Shanmugam falling ill, the minister's office said he has got himself admitted to a private hospital in Chennai for routine medical check-up. He had taken a Covid-19 test which however, turned out to be negative, the source said.
Another Tamil Nadu minister has volunteered home quarantine after his official car driver had tested positive for coronavirus, sources said. An official in the Thasildhar's office in Poonamallee tested positive, forcing the authorities to close the office temporarily and disinfect the whole place.
Among the districts, Chengalpattu continues to be on an upward curve reporting 121 positive coronavirus cases today, followed by Thiruvallur-120, Cuddalore-90, Vellore-87, Tiruvannamalai-76, Madurai-68, Kancheepuram-64, Thanjavur-44, Trichy-36, Ramnad-30, Tiruvarur and Dindigul districts 26 each, Tirunelveli-25 and Villupuram-22.
The number of deaths confirmed by the Health department on Sunday was again at an all-time high of 53 persons losing their lives to coronavirus. Only three of them died due to direct Covid pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome, while 50 others who succumbed in both private and government hospitals suffered from comorbidities.
