A virologist at Jipmer was among the 14 new COVID-19 cases reported in Puducherry on Tuesday.
The IGMCRI saw 11 admissions, Jipmer one, while the cases in Karaikal doubled to four.
“We are still in the process of identifying source of infection in two cases. All the others had come in contact with a COVID patient,” Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said.
From May 15 till now, the daily average of new cases has been about 7.3, while if you look at the past five days alone, the average has been about 10.
“The health infrastructure will have to be ramped up for the coming few months, anticipating an increase over the current rates,” Mr. Krishna Rao said. He mooted a separate COVID fund to mobilise adequate equipment, medicines and health manpower to tackle the pandemic. Capacity addition has to go hand-in-hand with stricter regulations such as fines for violation of distancing or PPE norms, to effectively check the spread, he said.
“The infection rate is worrying. The doubling rate in Puducherry is nine days. But, the emergence of COVID-19 in enclaves of Karaikal and Mahe necessitates the ramping up of health infrastructure in these places,” Health Secretary Prashant Kumar Panda said.
A mask-manufacturing unit in Mettupalayam has been advised to temporarily suspend operations after five more cases were reported in addition to the six positive cases confirmed earlier, S. Mohan Kumar, Director of Health said.
There are 113 active cases, while the cumulative total is 216 with 99 discharged. Till now, 10,486 samples have been tested, of which 10,231 were negative and the test results of 41 are awaited.