Tamil Nadu has the highest number of oxygen-supported beds in the country, while more than 1.7 lakh RT-PCR tests are performed in a day in the 276 laboratories in the State, Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Medical and Family Welfare, said.
The Minister on Friday inaugurated an additional 120 oxygen-supported beds, and a ‘Mucormycosis Ward’ with six beds at the Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate.
Referring to a tweet by former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami that deaths were occurring due to oxygen shortage in the State, the Minister said that till Mr. Palaniswami was the Chief Minister, the State’s oxygen capacity was 230 metric tonnes. The State’s capacity was gradually enhanced to 650 metric tonnes now due to the efforts taken by the present government.
The former CM’s statement that deaths occurred due to shortage of oxygen was unacceptable, he said. The State received oxygen supply from Rourkela, Durgapur and Jamshedpur, he added.
With vaccination being intensified across the State, he said that persons aged 18 to 44 years were coming forward to get vaccinated. As a result, the number of persons being vaccinated a day has increased, with 3.23 lakh people receiving the vaccines on Thursday alone, he mentioned.
P.K. Sekar Babu, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Dayanidhi Maran, Member of Parliament, Udhayanidhi Stalin, MLA, J. Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary, and R. Jayanthi, Dean of the Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate, were present.
