Infection widens beyond just Chennai and neighbouring districts – The Hindu

In the last one week, there has been a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in several districts other than Chennai and its neighbours. The movement of persons from Chennai, a COVID-19 hotspot, has led to an increase in the number of indigenous cases in many districts, like never before.

Chennai, followed by its neighbouring districts of Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram, contribute a major chunk of the indigenous cases, reported every day. But districts like Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Vellore, Thoothukudi, Madurai and Ramanathapuram have also been experiencing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Take Tiruvannamalai district for instance. Witnessing an upswing, the district, that presently has a total of 843 cases, added close to 300 cases in the last week. Likewise, cases have started to pick up in Ranipet and Vellore too, said officials.

A health official said that the situation was challenging in a few districts. “However, we are prepared to handle it, and are monitoring the cases on a day-to-day basis. There is an expected rise in cases. We have identified six to seven districts where cases are on the rise. The movement of people could be one of the reasons. We will be deputing officials from the headquarters in these districts to take preventive measures and build up capacity,” he said.

Some of the districts have never recorded COVID-19 cases to the extent seen in the past week, an official source said, adding that it was important for districts to gear up with preparatory measures.

“COVID-19 cases are increasing in Tiruvannamalai. Incoming people have been the main source of infection. The number of contacts of the index cases are high,” a district official said. Many people, who were natives of Tiruvannamalai and were working in Chennai, moved their families back to the district due to the COVID-19 crisis in the city.

“When persons are stopped at check-posts, they are screened and we manage to control the further spread of the infection. But there have been instances in which persons have come without e-passes, reached the district through various routes and gone home. This was the biggest challenge for us,” he said.

Vigilance committees

Every day, at least 300-350 persons enter the district. The district administration went on to put a monitoring mechanism in place at the village-level. Village vigilance committees were formed and asked to keep track of persons returning from Chennai and send them to medical camps, he added.

A health official said that cases have started picking up in districts such as Vellore and Ranipet. Going by the Health Department’s bulletin, Ranipet has recorded 180 cases and Vellore 106 cases, from June 15 to 18.

“In the last 10 days, cases have been gradually increasing, with a majority of the index cases being from Chennai, while their contacts — family members residing in the district — are testing positive after their return,” he said.

He added that they were concentrating on finding and isolating patients. “Anyone coming from Chennai is invariably testing positive for COVID-19. There are challenges of early detection,” he said.