Forests Minister K. Ramachandran said here on Friday that the mortality rate from COVID-19 in the Nilgiris was among the lowest in the State, with only 0.5 % of all people who tested positive dying of the infection.
Mr. Ramachandran reviewed measures being taken to control the spread of the disease in the district. He told reporters later that 11,699 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the Nilgiris so far. While 10,529 of them had recovered, 1,119 were undergoing treatment. He said 59 people had died of the disease in the district so far, which put the mortality rate at 0.5 %.
He said the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the most in Udhagamandalam and Gudalur, with both taluks having 442 and 349 active cases respectively. Coonoor and Kotagiri were witnessing relatively fewer cases.
The number of tests being done every day had also been ramped up from 1,000 to 2,000.
On the availability of beds in the Nilgiris, Mr. Ramachandran said that 477 of the 955 beds available to COVID-19 patients were currently occupied. Enforcement of the lockdown was extremely stringent, with the district ranking high in the State in collecting fines from violators, he said.
170 more beds
Meanwhile, the district administration said in a press release that an additional 170 beds had been made available for COVID-19 patients at eight private hospitals in the district, after it held talks with them.
The hospitals are: S.M. Hospital and Sivasakthi Hospital in Udhagamandalam, Nankem Hospital, Sagayamatha Hospital and Sai Healing Center in Coonoor, K.M.F.Hospital in Kotagiri, and ASHWINI Hospital and Pushpagiri Hospital in Gudalur.
Treatment at these hospitals would be free of cost for patients covered by the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).