‘Aim is to bring positivity rate in TN below 5 pc’

Currently, Tamil Nadu accounts for three per cent of the total cases of COVID-19 in the country. With an increasing number of cases in the State, Chennai, Coimbatore, Chengalpattu, Thanjavur and Tiruvallur are reporting more cases of COVID-19.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on Saturday said the Health department is working towards bringing down the positivity rate to less than five per cent in all the districts.

“There are 54,000 beds available for the treatment of COVID-19 cases in the State, and 20,000 additional beds have been added. In Chennai, there are about 20,000 beds available and 14,000 additional beds added for COVID patients,” said Radhakrishnan.

He added that there is no denying that there is a second wave of COVID-19 as there is an increase in the cases in the State and the only way to contain it is by ensuring proper use of masks.

“We aim to vaccinate more people against COVID-19 and at least two lakh people should be vaccinated daily. Due to elections, we could not push vaccination like other states that are vaccinating more than four lakh people daily. We will now push COVID-19 vaccination intensively,” he said.

The department is also conducting fever camps and COVID-19 surveillance camps in all the districts. He said household clusters are emerging and testing has been intensified for the same.

Radhakrishnan also inspected the COVID-19 Care Centre at Victoria Boys Hostel in Triplicane. The 570-bedded Covid Care Centre was opened on Saturday.