Covid-19: Chennai active cases at 40% of July peak – Times of India

CHENNAI: The steady decline in active Covid-19 cases in Chennai has helped ease the pressure on the public health machinery and finances of Greater Chennai Corporation.
As of Saturday evening, there were 10, 645 active cases (including 10,187 in city’s 15 zones, those in home quarantine and others) compared to a maximum of around 25,000 cases in the first week of July, when there were daily reports of patients unable to get beds in hospitals.

Senior officials in public health department and corporation said the decline has helped ease the burden of those on the forefront of the battle against the virus. For instance, FOCUS volunteers, who help those under home quarantine get essentials and check on their health every day, handle fewer patients now, a corporation official said..
“There is a direct co-relation between the number of active cases and the work load of frontline staff,” a senior civic body official said. However, the civic body will continue to assess the case load for a month before taking a call on reducing the number of staff on the frontline.
A senior official in the public health department said doctors and paramedical staff are able to rest more now, but city hospitals still handle complex cases from other parts of the state, as well as a portion of cases from the neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpet.
Though there is a drop in the number of active cases, people with mild symptoms also came to hospitals for better medical attention, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said. “Sanction of additional nurses and doctors by the CM has come and that will help the medical workforce,” he said.
A perusal of data shows that in July first week, active cases were highest in Kodambakkam, Royapuram, Tondiarpet and T V K Nagar zones, accounting for 40% of cases.
Kodambakkam had witnessed a surge in cases due to the Koyambedu market cluster. On Saturday, Kodambakkam still had the highest number of active cases followed by Anna Nagar and Valasaravakkam, but cases are distributed across Chennai.
Chennai’s mortality rate too has dropped in the last 30 days to 2.01%. Notably, mortality rate for Teynampet zone has come down from 3.01% to 2.81%. Of the 15 zones, nine have recorded a drop in mortality rate. Hotspots Anna Nagar and Ambattur have recorded a spike in mortality rates, but corporation officials say the rate is likely to fall. Commissioner G Prakash said the civic body is hoping to further bring down the mortality rate to 1.5%.