Chennai Corporation denies abnormal rise in Covid deaths

The Greater Chennai Corporation on Thursday denied that there are abnormal numbers of Covid deaths in its jurisdiction.

Talking to IANS, its Commissioner G. Prakash said: "There are no abnormal Covid-19 deaths in the city. We are monitoring the situation closely and the fatality rate is 1.4 per cent."

The Chennai corporation has appointed M.A. Siddique, Secretary, Commercial taxes as the Covid monitoring officer of the Greater Chennai Corporation.

"More beds with Oxygen facilities are being added in Chennai and 250 such beds will be functional at the Chennai trade centre, Nandambakkam and this will be scaled up to 500  numbers in a few weeks time," Siddique told IANS.

Terming the second Covid wave a Tsunami, he said that the existing 2,545 oxygen beds in government facilities will be doubled with immediate effect.

The official said that a 24x7 screening centre will be set up at the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Island Grounds this week itself and that Madras Medical college will be managing it. The corporation is also adding more vaccination centres for hassle-free second doses to people who have taken the first shot.

Meanwhile the Commissioner has also met state Transport Department officials to discuss augmenting services. "The Transport Department has promised to add 400 more buses to the present fleet to ensure that there is no overcrowding in the buses," Prakash said.