COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu: 60 police officers test positive; Minister says situation is under control with “maximum evidence, lowest death rate”

The state has 52 laboratories, including 36 in the government sector and 16 in private facilities. (Figurative)

As the total number of COVID-19 cases reached 6009 in Tamil Nadu with 600 new cases on Friday, the state health minister, C Vijayabaskar, said it was the increase in the number of tests and effective monitoring and quarantine of suspected cases which helped the state keep the indicators crucial. of the pandemic under control.

Vijayabaskar said the state’s death rate of 0.68 was the lowest among states with a similar population and cases, and that the samples analyzed were the highest, 2.16 lakh, “compared to states like Maharashtra who recorded the most cases. “

The state has 52 laboratories, including 36 in the government sector and 16 in private facilities.

The total death toll in the state is 40, with three deaths on Friday: that of a 78-year-old man and a 56-year-old man in Chennai, and an 83-year-old man in Tirunelveli. Minister Vijayabaskar said that all three had comorbid conditions.

On Friday alone, the state analyzed 13,980 samples. Out of 600 positive cases, 399 were from Chennai, 75 from Tiruvallur, a neighboring district north of Chennai, where it came mainly from the case group at the Koyambedu vegetable market.

Epidemiological data from the state public health directorate shows that the number of cases linked to the Koyambedu group increased from 92 on Sunday to 1,589 on Thursday night.

While the Koyambedu group has played a key role in the new wave of cases in the past week, the health department along with village police, revenue and surveillance committees across the state tracked 788 primary contacts originating in the market. Of 5,734 secondary contacts tracked to these primary contacts, 801 tested positive through Thursday.

60 police officers test positive

Sixty members of the police tested positive for COVID-19 in the state on Friday. Many police officers, including a Deputy Commissioner who oversaw crowd control measures at the Koyembedu market, were among those who tested positive for the infection. Four firefighters working at Vepery in Chennai also tested positive for COVID-19.

Officers undergo treatment in hospitals, while health officials have implemented contact tracing to stop the spread of the virus. Samples of close contacts of officers, relatives, friends and colleagues have also been taken and sent for analysis.

UAE-Chennai repatriation flights will arrive

The first repatriation flight from the UAE carrying 200 stranded Indians to Chennai is expected to land on Friday night.

The Air India Express flight was originally scheduled to depart at 2.45pm, but due to some technical issue, the flight was delayed. The second flight from the UAE with the same number of passengers is scheduled to arrive in the city around 12:30 a.m.

In addition to these, seven more flights (including one arriving in Mumbai and Chennai) to the city from Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and Bangladesh have been scheduled. In Trichy, flights from Malaysia and Singapore with approximately 500 passengers are scheduled to arrive.

The Grand Chennai Corporation is reportedly in talks with hoteliers to accommodate the incoming Indians. This accommodation is for people who do not wish to stay in government-established institutional quarantine centers where they will be housed for two weeks.

Kodambakkam has the highest number of cases

According to data published by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Kodambakkam has the highest number of cases among the 15 areas of the city, with 424 people hospitalized after testing positive for the virus. While Royapuram has the highest recovery rate with 101 cases, the area has also recorded the highest number of deaths in the city with eight deaths.

The number of cases in Chennai is 2,255, while the death toll is 23.

Overall zone-wise detailed status of COVID-19 cases in #Chennai.# Covid19Chennai #GCC #ChennaiCorporation pic.twitter.com/IHERZKlDOw

– Great Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) May 8, 2020

Chennai Corporation Declares Two Localities as Non-Containment Zones

As no new cases have been reported in the last 28 days, the GCC has declared the towns in the city as non-containment areas. Kasi Chetty and Maraikayar streets, both belonging to the Royapuram area, were declared containment areas on April 8.

#To update
No new cases were reported in these containment areas in the last 28 days. Therefore, these sites will be declared non-containment zones starting today.# Covid19Chennai#GCC #Chennai#ChennaiCorporation pic.twitter.com/aJHANdkyKG

– Great Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) May 8, 2020

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