Nearly 2,000 COVID-19 Cases In Tamil Nadu In A Single Day For First Time

Of the fresh infections, Chennai accounted for 1,392 cases as its tally alone touched 25,937. (File)

Tamil Nadu on Wednesday saw an all-time single day high of 1,927 new coronavirus cases being recorded while a senior DMK MLA became the first legislator to died due to the infection in the state which reported 19 other deaths.

On the positive side, the state continued to post robust recoveries with 1,008 people being discharged during the day from various hospitals, which is also the highest in a single day so far.

Cumulatively 19,333people have got cured and the active cases stood at 17,179.

As the infection count surged to 36,841 with another day of 1,500 plus cases for the fourth successive day and the toll rose to 326 in the state, the second worst hit in the country after Maharashtra, the government announced recruitment of 2,800 plus medical personnel, including over 1,200 doctors.

It ramped up bed capacity in the city's government sector hospitals to 10,000 from the present about 5,000 while private health facilities updated occupancy and vacancy of beds.

As many as 136 private hospitals in Tamil Nadu have so far updated their bed status on https:topcorona.tn.gov.in/, the exclusive government portal for COVID-19.

Notably, a significant number of beds, ventilators and ICU spaces are vacant in private medical college hospitals while in noted corporate hospitals here, the vacancy rate is quite minimal.

DMK MLA J Anbazhagan, a noted articulate member of the principal opposition party in the state assembly, died at a private hospital here after battling COVID-19 for eight days.

The 62-year old leader, born on June 10, 1958, incidentally died on his birthday, becoming the first COVID-19 fatality of a legislator in the state and perhaps the first in the country.

A total of 17,675 samples were tested on Wednesday, the highest so far, taking the total number of specimens examined so far to 6,38,846.

Of the fresh cases, Chennai accounted for 1,392 cases as its tally alone touched 25,937.

New positive cases included 30 returnees -- four of them from abroad and the rest from other states including Maharashtra and Delhi.

Those dead included a 38-year old man and he was among 15 people with comorbidities.

Health Minister C Vijayabaskar announced appointment of 574 post-graduate doctors (Non-Service Postgraduates which means those not in government service) at a monthly salary of Rs 75,000.

He said Chief Minister K Palaniswami had also ordered the appointment of 665 more doctors (graduates), 365 lab technicians and 1,230 multipurpose health personnel.

The initiative would help lower the work burden of doctors, nurses and other health personnel and improve the COVID-19 treatment amenities, he said.

Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters that beds in government sector hospitals in Chennai, will be doubled to 10,000 from about 5,000.

As per government data, there are 4,900 beds when the capacity in four State-run medical college hospitals and an ESI hospital -all in Chennai- are taken into account.

Greater Chennai Corporation said COVID 24x7 Call Centres have been set up separately in all the 15 zones of the city in addition to one in the headquarters, (044-46122300) at the Rippon Buildings to provide one stop COVID care information services.

"The call centres will provide information on quarantine, testing, fever clinics, urban public health centres, containment zones, preventive and ambulance services and public are requested to avail the services," the GCC said in a statement.