TAMIL NADU GOVT. TAKES MEASURES TO CLIMB UP THE LADDER IN TERMS OF TESTING FOR CORONA

Since Lockdown was announced, Tamil Nadu government has geared up to increase rapid testing and control the spread of the virus. News reports coming in from different districts suggest that Tamil Nadu government is all set to increase the number of samples collected and intensify testing for COVID-19.

District authorities in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri  are screening and testing samples to detect early community transmission. “The focus is now on collecting samples from people with influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI),” P Uma Maheswari, collector of Pudukkottai district told Times of India on Tuesday.  She also added that at least 250 samples are being collected from patients with these symptoms on a day to day basis. 

Similarly, the district collector of Coimbatore K Rajamani told TOI that “in the next four to five days, we would have tested nearly 2000 samples. "Three labs that have been set up in Coimbatore, put together have the capacity to test around 500 samples per day. In Madurai district, 1000 more isolation beds have been added and around 150 ventilators are being readied for use. Dindigul district, being a Corona hotspot, has 570 isolation beds and 41 ventilators in place. Both the Police and administration have intensified measures to enforce Lockdown norms in Trichy. Police across different districts of the state are planning to use drones for surveillance purposes. 

So far, the sample collection was restricted to government hospitals and medical colleges. At present, it has also been extended to primary health care centres in districts. Govt. officials suggest that this time period would be utilized by the State government to extensively test for COVID- 19.