Don’t let your guard down during festival season: Tamil Nadu Health Minister warns amid pandemic

CHENNAI: The State recorded 2,652 Covid-19 positive cases and 35 deaths, taking the tally to 7,19,403 and toll to11,053 on Thursday. Chennai recorded  756 cases, Chengalpattu 148, Kancheepuram 89 and Tiruvallur 146 cases.

Speaking to reporters after the Stroke and Psoriasis Day event at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said, “If everyone wears masks for 21 days we can create a situation of no positive cases.” The minister also requested people to be careful during the festival season.

After reports of some people approaching private scan centres, the minister said, “Such people need to be followed up for further management and they cannot depend only on CT scan findings as it is only an indicative of the infection. The Health Department will take action against private scan centres that do not inform about cases.” As per Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s instructions, government is only doing RT-PCR, Vijayabaskar said.

Plasma therapy
Vijayabaskar said, doctors from TN have said that plasma is effective only in mild Covid cases and the same has been conveyed to the Union Health Ministry. He also urged the ministry to take into consideration opinion of doctors from the State before framing guidelines on the use of plasma therapy.

Appointment of  Subbiah Shanmugam
On controversy over appointment of Dr Subbiah Shanmugam as a member of AIIMS, Vijayabaskar said, only the Union Government can take a decision on it and refused to comment on it.

Protection from rain
The government has instructed officials to make sure rainwater doesn’t enter hospitals. There were reports of rainwater entering Government Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Government Institute of Child Health.