Tamil Nadu: 5,000 fever camps to offer Covid-19 test

COIMBATORE: Municipal administration minister S P Velumani on Friday unveiled plans to conduct 5,000 special fever camps in the district this month in association with the public health department and local bodies. At the camps, he said, people with flu like symptoms would be tested for Covid-19.
Addressing the media at the district collectorate, the minister called on the people to attend the camps if they were having fever, cold and other symptoms. “Doctors would take throat and nasal swabs from them for Covid-19 test. We hope the drive would help us control the spread of the virus in the district.”
Velumani said 131 flights with 19,161 passengers from various parts of the country and abroad had landed in the city airport since the central government granted permission to operate flights on May 25. “They were all tested for the infection and only 111 were positive. Among them, 46 were from the district and the remaining were from other parts of the state.”
Pointing out that 60,282 people were tested for the virus in the district until Thursday, the minister said only 608 of them were found to be infected. “At least 318 patients have already recovered and are out of hospitals. Another 287 are undergoing treatment now,” he said without mentioning what happened to the remaining three in the list.
Referring to the flow of people from other districts and states, Velumani said 8,302 people had returned to the district so far and that they were all kept in home quarantine under the strict scrutiny of the city corporation, revenue, public health department and police officials.
“The district has 400 beds in ESI Hospital, 405 in Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, 471 in taluk hospitals, 240 in primary health centres, 1,456 in private hospitals, 13 in upgraded primary health centres and 713 beds in other government hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients. The government has arranged 1,000 more beds at six places, including Codissia, for asymptomatic patients. The district has in total 4,685 beds for the infected,” the minister said.
Velumani also visited the Codissia trade fair complex and inspected the work on setting up Covid-19 care centre with 400 beds.