With a view to identify the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, the state goverment on Friday advised officials concerned and doctors to get COVID-19 patients admitted in hospitals, instead of prescribing home quarantine. Minister for medical and family welfare Ma Subramanian said the health department has alsocommenced steps to identify the exact reasons behind the increase in new cases.
"On July 28, the state reported 1,756 new cases, but yesterday it increased to 1,859… That is 103 new cases have been added. The state has been witnessinga declining trend in new infections for more than a month and this is the first time it has gone up", he told reporters.
Districts like Chennai, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore,Erode and Cuddalore have witnessed an increase in new cases, he said. "Chief Minister (M K Stalin) enquired about the reasons for the rise in newinfections…We are discussing the issue.
We have advised officials concerned and hospitals to get a patient who has tested positive hospitalised, instead of prescribing home quarantine and to monitor those in contact with them", he said. He opined that one of the possible reasons for the sharp increase in new cases in Kerala ould be due to patients preferring to be in homequarantine than getting admitted to a hospital.
Keralarecorded more than 20,000 cases for the fourth consecutive day on Friday with the test positivity rate rising to 13.61 percent and 116 more people succumbing to COVID-19. Subramanian also attributed the sudden increase in new infections in Tamil Nadu due to the negligence shown by people in wearing masks andmaintaining social distancing norms.
"Our continuous appeal to the public is to wear masks, wash hands regularly and maintain social distancing norms …Still people do not follow it," he said.
Subramanian said the government would conduct a state- wide awareness campaigns on the benefits of following the COVID-19 protocols. "The Chief Minister will inaugurate such an awareness campaign in the city on Saturday", he said.
To a query on monitoring those who arrive from Kerala, he said people are continuously being screened at important entry points along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. "We continuously screen people who arrive from Kerala via Coimbatore or Kanyakumari.
Recently, in Coimbatore, health department officials screened people in at least 13 locations bordering Kerala", he said.
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