Though the total positivity rate of COVID-19 had marginally decreased from 23.5 % to 20 % since May 13 in Theni district, people must continue to remain indoors during the lockdown which would be in force till May 31, said speakers at a review meeting here on Wednesday.
Presiding over the meeting, Cooperation Minister I. Periyasamy said that within a fortnight after assuming office on May 7, Chief Minister M K Stalin, had taken numerous steps to fight against the COVID-19. Of the RT-PCR tests done on 3,09,657 people in the district, 33,116 tested positive. Till May 25, 26,405 patients were discharged. As many as 5,003 patients were in home quarantine, 521 in Government Hospitals and 877 were in treatment at Covid care centres.
The Minister said that 15 locations were identified for administering the vaccine. So far, 74,333 persons have taken the vaccine. As many as 4,682 fever clinics had been conducted in the district. He said that 218 containment zones were in rural areas of the district and 263 in urban locations.
Collector H Krishnanunni gave an overview of the measures taken by the administration for containing the pandemic.
OPS present
Earlier in the meeting, MLAs from the district spoke. Representing Bodinaickanur Assembly constituency, former CM and MLA O. Panneerselvam sought more attention for Bodi areas as the cases were rising. The district being close to Kerala, check posts should be strengthened and swab tests made mandatory for all the travelling public, especially drivers coming from other stations and casual workers who commute to Kerala.
A. Maharajan from Andipatti constituency said that there was no electricity supply in Highwavys for the last 10 days or so. People were put to untold hardship. He also charged that there were shortage of doctors in the rural pockets and pregnant women experienced difficulties in travelling to Theni GH.
Periyakulam MLA K.S. Saravanakumar said that potable water was scarce. Cumbum MLA N. Ramakrishnan called for increasing the capacity of the oxygen unit in Theni hospital from 10,000 litres to 20,000 litres.