On Thursday, the positivity rate of COVID-19 cases in Puducherry that has touched 40% in the last week of August, has come down to 5.3%. The rate steadily climbed from 5% in May since the COVID-19 pandemic. The positivity rate of collected samples (4,649) tested stood at 5.3% on Thursday.

The administration’s decision in the last week of August to seek direction from the Union health ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for controlling and containing the spread of coronavirus has begun to yield results. The ministry has constituted a team of doctors from Jipmer to support the healthcare authorities in Puducherry. ICMR has deputed a team of scientists from its National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai to support and strengthen the team of doctors from Jipmer.

The two teams had visited the containment zones and also reviewed the public health infrastructure. They highlighted several voids such as insufficient number of tests performed daily, delay in giving test results and lack of a standard approach to monitor if the patients referred are to undergo medical tests among others.

After the recommendations of the experts, the UT started conducting 3,000 tests a day and now testing almost 5,000 tests each day. Also, the test results are declared within 48 hours. Puducherry had also established dedicated fever clinics along with sample collection centres. It took over the administrative control of a private medical college and hospital and got it converted into a COVID-19 facility. They are guiding other four private medical colleges to assign 300 beds each to treat coronavirus patients.

On Thursday, the territory had reported 245 fresh cases with 213 patients recovered as the number of active cases reached 32,486.

Source: ET Healthworld