Tamil Nadu reports 17 new coronavirus cases; tally goes up to 67

When asked about the spike in the number of cases in Erode, Edappadi said “Around 1,500 people had gone together as a group and attended a conference in Delhi. Twenty-four people from Erode were infected from that gathering. Samples of all the people who attended the conference are being tested.”

According to TN health officials, all the 10 people from Erode had travel history from Delhi and also had a contact history with case five and six (Thailand Nationals), who reported positive and are already in quarantine in IRTT Perundurai Hospital in Erode.

Patients 52 to 55 are the family contact of patient 42 (25-year-old male who returned from the USA). The four patients from Chennai include a 52-year-old woman, a 76-year-old woman, a 15-year-old woman, and a 20-year-old man.

Patient 66 is a 50-year-old woman from Broadway in Chennai. She is currently admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in the same city. Patient 67 is a 42-year-old male from Kulithalai with a travel history to Delhi. He is currently admitted at Karur Medical College Hospital.

As per the latest reports from the Tamil Nadu Health Minister, a total of 2,09,284 passengers have been screened in the state and there are 17,089 isolation beds and 3,081 ventilators. As many as 361 people are currently admitted in the state. Of the 2,040 samples tested, 1,853 have turned out negative, 67 tested positive while the results are awaited for 119. There are 2,464 ventilators available in the state in various hospitals.

CM Palanisamy reiterated that self-isolation was the only medicine for coronavirus. “We are now in stage 1 and 2. The media has to help in raising awareness among the public. Even the developed countries have not found any medicine to this disease; self-isolation is the only medicine for coronavirus. The public has been supportive, the government will ensure all the necessary items are available to them without any hindrance,” Edappadi said.

#TN: 17 new +ve cases for #Covid_19. #Madurai: 25 Y M at Rajaji Hosp. #Chennai:4 ppl via contact of USA return Pt at PvtHosp. 50 Y F,Broadway at RGGH.#Erode 10 M Pts travel history Delhi at IRTT,Perundurai. #Kulithalai :42 Y M at #Karur MC,Trav.Hist to Delhi tested at Thiruvarur

— Dr C Vijayabaskar (@Vijayabaskarofl) March 30, 2020

Calling the reports about the lack of masks at hospitals “baseless”, Edappadi said as a preventive measure, the government had ordered 1.5 crore masks, 25 lakh N-95 masks and 11 lakh protective suits for doctors and nurses.

Containment measures by the state government began on Saturday. In Chennai, civic officials did an intense door-to-door around residential areas where patients have tested positive for coronavirus.

According to officials, 2,500 DBC workers, 1,500 Anganwadi workers, 750 nurses and 1,500 schoolteachers have been deployed to carry out this process. The coronavirus positive houses will be treated as epicentres, around which 2,500 houses will be taken as the focus area and each house will be inspected on a door to door basis every day. The areas outside the 2,500 houses will be inspected by the Health Department officials/DBC workers door-to-door once in two days, and this will continue for the next 28 days.