Chennai to roll out oxygen parlours for Covid patients

Amid spiralling coronavirus cases, the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to roll out "oxygen parlours" for Covid patients across three regions of the city.

Each region will have a 100-bed hospital with oxygen facility. This will be for people who have breathing difficulty and whose oxygen saturation is between 90-92, but still need the oxygen support.

Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagan Singh Bedi has said that the corporation has already ordered for oxygen concentrators and 2,700 of them will reach the city soon.

The Chennai corporation has also made some changes regarding the RT-PCR tests and the report of the test will not be given directly to positive patients.

Doctors will first check the blood pressure, oxygen saturation  and respiration rate of the patient. Based on these parameters doctors and medics will decide whether the patient needs home isolation or treatment at a hospital.

The corporation will also provide a medical kit immediately to all patients who are undergoing an RT-PCR test with symptoms of fever, loose motion, loss of smell and taste and body pain.

According to officials, this is to ensure that the patient isn't left unattended till the arrival of the results of RTPCR.  Thirty thousand such medical kits are already ready for providing to patients.

The Chennai Corporation Commissioner told IANS, "This method is to ensure that positive patients are not venturing out and spreading the disease even unknowingly."

The city has reported over 7,000 fresh Covid cases on Tuesday.