Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on Sunday said it has been challenging to curb the spread of Covid in four zones in Chennai despite cases coming down in other parts of the city.
While addressing reporters after inspecting the oxygen triaging facility at the Omandurar Government Medical College Hospital in Chennai, Radhakrishnan said compared to the second wave, the severity of the outbreak is low this time. He said though more than 30,000 cases have been reported, the bed occupancy in hospitals has been low. On average one out every 100 patients died during the second wave, while now it is for every 1,000 cases, he said.
Radhakrishnan said though the cases are coming down in districts like Chennai, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, the spread has been on the rise in 30 other districts including those that share close borders with neighbouring states like Kerala, Karnataka. Radhakrishnan said the state has close to 1.31 lakh beds dedicated to Covid-19 but the occupancy has been only around nine per cent.
Radhakrishnan said the positivity rate has come down in Chennai. Explaining the surge in cases zone-wise in the city, he said “There has been a declining trend in zones like Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Anna Nagar, Royapuram, Tondiarpet. In Adyar, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, there has been an increase of 0 – 1 per cent. In Tiru Vi Ka Nagar, Alandur, Perungudi, there has been a surge of 1- 3 per cent. However, we are having a challenge in bringing down the cases in Tiruvottiyur, Madhavaram, Manali where there has been a surge of five-six per cent and in Sholinganallur, where is an increase of 10 per cent.”
Radhakrishnan further urged people who are eligible for booster doses to get vaccinated immediately.
“What the public needs to understand is that among those who had succumbed to the disease, 68 per cent of them didn’t take the vaccine and 12 per cent were administered just one dose of vaccine. Today, we had a meeting with the health experts, they say that those who haven’t taken their jabs and others who had completed nine months after getting their vaccines and are waiting for booster doses have the same level of risk exposure to the virus,” he said.
The Health Secretary appealed to people to avoid crowds, wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/chennai-covid-cases-active-cases-7738951/
