Infection risk up in Tiruvannamalai due to delayed results from King Institute

Aggrieved officials said that they are instructed to send the samples to King Institute which has high end facilities to handle such samples. “Though the issue of delay in getting results was raised with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar and Chief Secretary K Shanmugam, we were told that the issue would be sorted out soon. But, the same situation continues even now,” they added.

The district started with 200 samples per day, but now it collects around 2,000 samples. The surge is mainly attributed to returnees from Chennai which took the tally above 3,000 positive cases mark on Monday.

“Keeping potential positive cases with others in quarantine centres till the test results reach us increases the danger of normal people being infected as they mix freely in such areas,” a doctor seeking anonymity said.

Though a sample – sent by ambulance to Chennai testing facility - is stable for nine days, officials hope that at least now officialdom will do the needful to ensure expeditious test results.

On Wednesday, Vellore district recorded its highest COVID-19 positive tally of 280 cases till date said officials. To increase people participation in medical camps conducted across the district to contain the virus spread, the administration has provided brand new megaphones to 15 sanitary supervisors to ensure that news of the camps reach the public.