Vigil high on Coimbatore-Kerala borders due to surge in Covid cases in Kerala
Coimbatore: Acting upon the instruction of Tamil Nadu government to step up surveillance in the districts bordering Kerala, Coimbatore district health officials are on the front foot, closely monitoring passengers to test for the virus, as cases in Kerala is told to have surged again in the recent past.
The government have also asked all the foreign returnees to mandatorily provide Covid negative certificates and to undergo RT-PCR tests. State Health Secretary Dr.J. Radhakrishnan, while addressing the press in Chennai on Monday, said that the department has fastened up the screening process and is determined to bring down the cases. The number of active Covid cases in Tamil Nadu as of Tuesdaystood at 4,074, with 442 new cases. However, the total positive cases in the state is 8,49,166, while the samples tested so far stays at 51,301.
Nearly 453 Covid patients discharged on Tuesdaymaking the total number of discharged patients to 8,32,620. Following the instructions of the state's health Secretary, health department officials request people to follow all the protocols including wearing masks and not gathering in groups unless it is unavoidable. While states like Kerala and Maharashtra account for 74% of Covid cases in the country, the positivity rate in Tamil Nadu remains low at 0.9 percent per 100 members.
In Coimbatore, the positivity rate remains below 1 percent, confirms City health officer Raja. Nearly, 3500 tests are being taken in the city limit, an officer told. With the positivity rate below 1 percent, the official also said that there is no new cluster in the city. However, two cases of dengue have been reported in the city after when the officials started taking steps to prevent it. It has also installed Medical camp and fever surveillance camps to bring down dengue cases.
Talking about preventive steps taken by District health officials, Sivachandran an official and an epidemiologist who work with district health department said that RT-PCR tests have resumed in Airports and that they are unaware of how many have been taken.
“We have just begun screening passengers from 22nd of February and will only be able to provide the data after a few daysâ€, said the official.
Passengers returning from the UK, European countries and Middle easts are being checked before given entry. Besides, Thermal screening is also at place in borders like Walayar and Anaikatti. It is said that only one case has been tested positive for the virus with the help of thermal screening. The official also said no recent Covid positive has been witnessed among those passengers returning through Kerala borders. All the passengers are being advised and given awareness on Covid before allowing them to enter Tamil Nadu border. However, ambulances are being checked irrespective of any emergency, added the official.
The government have also asked all the foreign returnees to mandatorily provide Covid negative certificates and to undergo RT-PCR tests. State Health Secretary Dr.J. Radhakrishnan, while addressing the press in Chennai on Monday, said that the department has fastened up the screening process and is determined to bring down the cases. The number of active Covid cases in Tamil Nadu as of Tuesdaystood at 4,074, with 442 new cases. However, the total positive cases in the state is 8,49,166, while the samples tested so far stays at 51,301.
Nearly 453 Covid patients discharged on Tuesdaymaking the total number of discharged patients to 8,32,620. Following the instructions of the state's health Secretary, health department officials request people to follow all the protocols including wearing masks and not gathering in groups unless it is unavoidable. While states like Kerala and Maharashtra account for 74% of Covid cases in the country, the positivity rate in Tamil Nadu remains low at 0.9 percent per 100 members.
In Coimbatore, the positivity rate remains below 1 percent, confirms City health officer Raja. Nearly, 3500 tests are being taken in the city limit, an officer told. With the positivity rate below 1 percent, the official also said that there is no new cluster in the city. However, two cases of dengue have been reported in the city after when the officials started taking steps to prevent it. It has also installed Medical camp and fever surveillance camps to bring down dengue cases.
Talking about preventive steps taken by District health officials, Sivachandran an official and an epidemiologist who work with district health department said that RT-PCR tests have resumed in Airports and that they are unaware of how many have been taken.
“We have just begun screening passengers from 22nd of February and will only be able to provide the data after a few daysâ€, said the official.
Passengers returning from the UK, European countries and Middle easts are being checked before given entry. Besides, Thermal screening is also at place in borders like Walayar and Anaikatti. It is said that only one case has been tested positive for the virus with the help of thermal screening. The official also said no recent Covid positive has been witnessed among those passengers returning through Kerala borders. All the passengers are being advised and given awareness on Covid before allowing them to enter Tamil Nadu border. However, ambulances are being checked irrespective of any emergency, added the official.