Chennai civic body to collect swab samples of 40,000 for PCR test

TNN | Apr 15, 2020, 06:52 IST

REUTERS photo used for representational purpose only

CHENNAI: As part of the fight against Covid-19, the civic body will collect swabs samples from 40,000 people in the city and send them for tests to governmentidentified laboratories, corporation commissioner G Prakash said on Tuesday.
“Of this, 10,000 will be from people inside the containment zones,” Prakash told TOI.
The corporation has created 35 walk-in kiosks at various parts of the city where designated people have been asked to come and give their swabs which will then be checked through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. People living in the containment zones in vicinity of Covid-19 positive cases and those who may have severe influenza-like illnesses will be asked to give their swabs, corporation officials said.
So far, such kiosks have been set up at 16 places, mainly in Royapuram, Teynampet and Anna Nagar zones which have a sizeable number of positive cases.
Now that it is compulsory to wear masks while stepping out, Prakash said it would be okay if people properly cover their face with handkerchiefs. “However, if they can use cotton masks which are reusable then it will be good,” he said.
The commissioner visited the Chennai Trade Centre on Tuesday to inspect the 600 isolation wards created there in case the state needs it for future patients.
Meanwhile, data released by the civic body shows it has surveyed 1.42 crore households cumulatively as on Monday in their door-to-door fever checking initiative. Totally, 3,886 people have been found to have symptoms of Covid-19 like fever and cough. Of these, 3,274 have been cured while 612 will be followed up.