COVID-19 positive cases in TN cross 1,000, eight docs contract virus
Chennai, Apr 12 () Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported106 new cases of COVID-19 to take the overall tally past the1,000 mark, as one more person succumbed to the deadly virus,as the toll stood at 11.
As many as eight doctors were affected with thevirus, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters here.
With a focus on "aggressive testing", the governmenthas decided to coordinate with the private sector in thiseffort and would bear the expenses involved, she said.
Of the 106 new cases, 16 had "inter-state travel"history and the remaining were their contacts, she said, evenas the cumulative number of positive cases climbed to 1,075.
A 45-year old woman from the city was the latestvictim to the contagion and died at a government hospital onSaturday, nearly a week after she was admitted there.
The death toll from the virus in Tamil Nadu nowstands at 11.
Further, 50 people have been discharged so far.
Among the new cases were eight doctors-- two each fromthe Railways and the state government, while the rest wereworking in the private sector, she added.
Further, the government has stepped up testing and hasreceived approvals from the Centre to set up 23 facilities inthe state.
"We have got approvals from Government of India to setup 14 government labs and nine private labs", she said, addingJIPMER in Puducherry has been nominated as 'Mentor Lab' by theCentre.
The government has now turned its focus on "aggressivetesting" and has decided to rope in the private sector also.
Rajesh said the private sector has fixed a price fortesting the samples and that Chief Minister K Palaniswami hasannounced the government will bear all the expenses.
"Our strategy is aggressive testing now," she said.
According to reports, private sector has fixed a rateof Rs 4,500 for testing a COVID-19 sample.
On Sunday, 49 new cases of Severe Acute RespiratoryInfection (SARI) were reported, with two of them testingpositive for coronavirus, she said.
Tirupur in the state recorded 35 new positive cases onSunday followed by Coimbatore (22) and Chennai with 18 cases.
The state capital topped the number of cases with 199,followed by Coimbatore at 119.
Rajesh said the government has recently launched aninteractive voice response system (IVRS) facility enablingcallers to know whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Meanwhile in Tiruchirappalli, a 40-year old COVID-19positive patient was booked for "attempt to murder" after heallegedly spat on a doctor treating him at the governmenthospital.
The patient admitted to the hospital's coronavirusward on Saturday also removed his mask and threw it at thedoctor, enraging the hospital staff and other patients.
Ever since his admission in the ward, he has not beencooperating with the medical staff, police said.
A report from Nagapattinam district stated that a 65-year old doctor, running a private clinic at Kadambadi in thedistrict has tested positive for the virus after his returnfrom the US three weeks back.
The district administration has appealed to the peoplewho received treatment from him to come forward and subjectthemselves to medical examination.
Meanwhile in Erode, a coronavirus positive woman hasgiven birth to a 'healthy' baby boy at a government medicalcollege hospital at nearby Perundurai, where she has beenundergoing treatment, officials said.
A team of doctors carried out the ceasarean deliveryat the Perundurai IRT Government Medical College Hospital, adesignated facility for COVID-19 cases, on Saturday night.
She is among the 14 women undergoing treatment at thehospital for coronavirus.
The new born was 'healthy', officials said.
Meanwhile, the state government said individuals andorganisations cannot distribute food to the needy in thestreets, saying it was a violation of the prohibitory ordersclamped to enforce the ongoing lockdown, a move opposed by theopposition DMK and Makkal Needhi Maiam.
"This (distribution of food in the open) will lead tospread of the disease (coronavirus)," an official releasesaid, adding volunteers, political parties and others wantingto help can make contributions with the district collector orheads of the respective civic bodies.
The officials will distribute food by enforcing socialdistancing and all should cooperate, the government said,adding, those flouting the norms will be deemed violators andwill have to face legal action.
It said the very purpose of clamping Section 144 ofCr.Pc., which bars the assembly of more than five persons, wasto avoid crowding and ultimately prevent the spread of virus.
DMK President M K Stalin slammed the move, sayingwhoever had issued the order was "heartless" and wondered whysomeone wanting to help people should be dissuaded from doingso.
"Social distancing can be enforced by the police. Buthow can one order that food should not be provided to theaffected people," he said in a statement.
It was an "autocratic" order, he alleged.
MNM chief Kamal Haasan said while neighbouring stateswere getting the help of youth and the private sector, theTamil Nadu government was discouraging those who wanted tohelp the poor.