Revenue Minister R. B. Udayakumar on Friday said that Madurai district will be averaging around 3,000 COVID-19 tests per day and the swab samples will be sent to Chennai or Coimbatore.
After distributing pulse oximetres and thermal scanners to the health department here on Friday, he told reporters that over 2,000 people had been tested for COVID-19 each day over the past three days. The samples of around 250 people returned positive daily, he said adding that this must be perceived as a positive sign.
The Minister added that the district administration’s methods had recently come under the scanner for the sudden rise in cases and deaths but officers and doctors were fighting each day trying to keep the mortality low.
“People keep raising questions about the number of deaths taking place in Madurai. However, if we take into account the people who have died, most are above 60 years of age and have comorbidities. This is a challenge across the world,” he said.
The people had been helpful in complying with the lockdown in the district so as to ensure that the cases were contained. The government was trying to improve infrastructure across COVID-19 care centres, he said.
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