Revenue Minister R.B. Udayakumar said Madurai district would be averaging around 3,000 COVID-19 tests a day soon and the swab samples will be sent to Chennai or Coimbatore.

After distributing pulse oximeters and thermal scanners to the Health department here on Friday, he told reporters that over 2,000 people were tested for COVID-19 each day in the past three days. Out of them, only around 250 people tested positive daily, he said adding that this must be perceived as a positive sign.

The Minister added that the district administration’s methods had recently come under the scanner for the sudden rise in cases and deaths but officials and doctors were fighting each day trying to keep the mortality rate low.

“People keep raising questions about the number of deaths taking place in Madurai. However, if we take into account the people who have died, most are above 60 years of age and had comorbidities. This is a challenge across the world,” he said.