Every 5th sample tested Corona positive in Chennai, more than 2 lakh Coronavirus positive cases in Chennai by 23rd July
Posted on: 19/Jun/2020 11:06:13 AM
By the 23rd of July, Chennai city would have more than 2lakhs affected by Coronavirus infection. The people would need 40,000 more beds and 2000 more ventilators. This was as per the internal assessment of the TN government.
It must be taken into account that in Chennai every 5th sample that was tested showed the presence of Covid-19 infection. The infection rate is much higher in Chennai city when compared to TN and India.
For all the secondary and tertiary care facilities, the officials belonging to Covid-19 control rooms have been ramping up bed capacity plus setting up oxygen pipelines, organising ventilators besides getting doctors/nurses/paramedical staff.
The link from the Centre that calculates the burden based on the existing growth rate of the infection is the S3 portal of Covid-19. This link has predicted that apart from 2000 more ventilators and 3800 ICU beds, Chennai would also need above 40,000 beds without oxygen and 1200 beds with oxygen. There is a 5% infection growth rate in the Chennai city and other districts like Sivaganga would have twice the rate.
Information is Chennai city’s nearby districts like Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpet etc might need 14000 beds and would also need more than 1600 beds with oxygen supply.
As per the TN government internal assessment report, There has been an upsurge in the number of cases in the districts like Pudukottai, Ramanathapauram, Ranipet, Tiruvannamamlai etc. These might need more beds and ventilators.
According to Mr. P. Umanath, MD, Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation, during emergencies ventilators lying idle in other departments of the medical colleges would be shifted to Covid-19 wards. By the middle of June, TN would have atleast 1000 new ventilators. In the month of March itself the orders were finalized with the vendors.
It was later highlighted by Dr. R. Narayanababu, DME that the number of people with ventilator needs is low. Just fewer patients admitted to the government medical colleges needed ventilators.
In the 4 medical colleges in Chennai, there were 1603 Corona patients on Wednesday and 155 had severe symptoms. Light symptoms were found in 710 persons. There were 390 persons in the health care centres.
It is important to note that out of 1494 patients in the private hospitals more than 3/4th were mild cases and 10 percent were on ventilators. Officials were of the view that they might have to get more beds at private as well as in the government hospitals plus in COVID care centres.
