50 percent of COVID patients in Tamil Nadu are in home quarantine, says top health official

50 percent of COVID patients in Tamil Nadu are in home quarantine, says top health official

“Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must get themselves screened at the Corporation screening centre. They would be guided on admission or home quarantine from here,” said Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan

Published: 24th April 2021 06:18 PM 

A health worker taking a patient suspected to have infected with Covid, for testing at KMC, in Chennai, on Friday | P Jawahar

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: About 50 percent of COVID-19 patients in Tamil Nadu are in home quarantine, Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan said on Saturday.

Addressing reporters, he said 50.8 percent of COVID-19 patients are in home quarantine and 8.85 percent patients are in COVID-19 care centers, while 25.8 percent are at hospitals and the remaining comprise daily discharge and admissions.

“Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must get themselves screened at the Corporation screening centre for X-ray and blood profile. They would be guided on admission or home quarantine from here,” said Radhakrishnan.

He said that if people have severe symptoms, they can call the 108 ambulances or call 044-46122300/044-25384520 for assistance to get admitted to a hospital.

“If large numbers of people come to hospitals without symptoms, it will give the wrong impression that hospitals are crowded. Hospitals must be reserved only for those needing oxygen. This will be determined at the screening centres,” said Radhakrishnan.

Radhakrishnan also said it was worrying to hear of patients self-medicating themselves with drugs at their homes.

“I have learned that people are injecting themselves with Remdesivir or Tocilizumab at their homes. Leave the judgment of who needs these drugs to doctors and do not indulge in self-medication,” said Radhakrishnan.

The health secretary said that 363 additional doctors have been added to the present strength of doctors to fight COVID-19.

“Only if we stop the COVID-19 chain will crowds not gather at government hospitals,” he pointed out.

Radhakrishnan said that the oxygen capacity in the state is adequate and the government also regularly requests the Centre to fill up vaccine stock.