Health officials here are planning to increase the bed strength to treat COVID-19 in the district as more cases are being identified each day through increased testing in the district.
The district administration and health department here have increased number of swab samples collected a day and intensive fever camps are being conducted in over 200 places a day in the district. According to officials, on Tuesday alone, 3,922 swab samples were collected and 335 COVID-19 positive cases were reported, all of them indigenous cases.
As a precautionary measure, the health department is planning to increase the total bed strength in the district to 5,000 by setting up additional COVID Care Centres here.
According to officials, bed strength has already been increased in Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital and three other government hospitals in Attur, Omalur and Mettur.
J. Nirmalson, Deputy Director of Health Services here said, “we are planning to increase the bed strength to 5,000 beds and more number of CCCs would be set up. At the moment we are planning to set up one COVID Care Centre in each block and buildings are being identified for this purpose.”
He added that some patients are requesting for home isolation and it is being allowed to those who have facilities for room isolation, besides neither the patient nor any other relatives should have comorbid conditions and the residence should not be in a congested area.
Health officials said, 11,412 patients have contracted the disease in the district. The positivity rate in the district is less than 10%, they said and advised the public to cooperate with the containment measures by wearing masks in public places, maintaining physical distance and ensuring hand sanitation.