Tally down, but triage ward cases spike

CHENNAI: With the State’s daily COVID-19 tally having come down in the last few days, suspected cases and fever cases at the triage wards (where suspected COVID cases with other co-infections are admitted) at several hospitals are piling up. Doctors claim that many critical patients have also succumbed to these infections without confirmation of the COVID-19 infection.

“The number of suspected cases and deaths in the triage wards is increasing but they don’t get added in the COVID count because of being unconfirmed. The CT reports of these patients are highly suggestive of COVID-19 and they seem symptomatic, however, many of them die even before their results are out,” an on-duty doctor at RGGGH said.

Other doctors also said that co-infection cases have added to the burden of the suspected cases. “Malaria cases are becoming rampant in the city and at least 65% fever cases are malaria,” said Dr K Senthil, consultant physician, Kilpauk Hospital. Co-infection cases are challenging as treatment procedures are different, said Dr Arvind Santhosh, a medico from Stanley Hospital.

Screening questionnaire for the detection of suspected cases, masking of individuals at all entry points, symptom screening before entering the hospital is very crucial, said Dr Krishnakumar Rathnam, chief consultant, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre.

Meanwhile in a welcome sign that TN might have left the worst of the pandemic behind, the new cases reported on Sunday went down to 3,914. The last time the State reported less than the 4,000 mark was exactly 100 days ago, on July 11. The decline in new cases also brought down the number of active cases to 39,121.