Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy on Friday clarified that the Indian Council of Medical Research has not informed the Puducherry government about any scientific findings by them which suggest that 95% of people in the Union Territory are susceptible to novel coronavirus.

“In my recent meetings with ICMR- National Institute of Epidemiology team in the presence of senior officials, they did not mention about any study which showed 95 % of the population in U.T. are susceptible to the the virus. When I enquired with the team members on Thursday, they informed me that ICMR has not put any such projections,” the Chief Minister told The Hindu.

The Lt.Governor’s Secretariat had published the minutes of a meeting ICMR-NIE team had with Lt.Governor Kiran Bedi in which it was stated that 95% of people in U.T. are susceptible to the virus.

“Though sero survey hasn’t been carried out, based on the data available, it is likely that 95% of the people of Puducherry are susceptible to the virus,” the minutes quoting the team said.

“It is an alarming data. And any such assessment/findings should have been communicated to the government for taking corrective steps. We came to know about it through newspaper reports. We have not been informed. The government wants everyone to act in a more responsible manner and every efforts should be taken not to create panic,” he said.

The statement from the Lt.Governor’s Secretariat itself says no sero survey has been conducted.

In fact a sero survey, conducted by the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research had given a completely different picture on the vulnerability rate. The government was taking every possible step to contain the spread of virus, he said

The Chief Minister said in his meeting with representatives of private medical colleges on Thursday evening that the government had directed all the institutes to conduct 100 tests each per day.

The government had also directed them to provide 100 beds each with oxygen supply and 200 ordinary beds each to treat COVID-19 patients. “We have directed them to make the beds ready by September 10. Necessary orders directing the medical colleges to part with the beds will be issued very soon,” the Chief Minister said