By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: The district administration is gearing up for a major test following the Health Department’s ominous prediction that the daily number of cases would rise alarmingly in the next 15 days.

Deputy Director of Health Services G Ramesh Kumar said that the fresh cases would cross the 500 barrier in the next few days, with the tally hovering around 500-700. “The numbers have already spiked. We have daily case count of 350 to 400. However, one must remember that the spike is also linked to a rise in sample size in the city corporation limits.”

The official said 3,000 samples are being tested everyday in the corporation limits, adding that the increase in sample size has brought down the positivity rate to nearly 13 per cent compared to the 15 per cent in mid-August.

Abreast of the situation, Collector K Rajamani enumerated the measures in place to tackle the exigency. “We have sufficient number of beds in Covid-19 hospitals, Covid Health Centres, and Covid Care Centres (CCC). The infected patients shall be accommodated in CCCs near their locality. More fever camps would be conducted to identify the people with symptoms of Covid-19, Influenza-like Illness (ILI), and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).”

Corona Triage Centre inaugurated

On Monday, the health officials inaugurated the district’s first Corona Triage Centre in Sidhapudur Corporation Higher Secondary School. Sources said that all new patients would be brought to this centre to ascertain their viral caseload before being shifted to a suitable facility.