Amid peaking COVID-19 cases, the Tamil Nadu state government has launched the panel to install more COVID-19 care centers in the state with the view of accomodating the patients who have shown mild and moderate symptoms for the viral infection.

The fresh centers would accommodate the patients with moderate symptoms, letting the severely affected and vulnerable patients get admitted to the hospitals. The move has come when the state is faltering upon the challenge of housing the COVID-19 patients in the hospitals with the recent allegations arrowed against the state government on the availability of beds in Chennai to treat the patients.

The reports say over 70% of the total number of COVID-19 patients in Tamil Nadu fall under the category of mild and moderate symptoms and these population would be housed in the care centers so that the government can enhance the availability of the beds in the hospitals to treat the worst-hit patients, who are in the necessity of hospitalization.

According to the reports, a panel headed by the secretaries of the Public Works Department and Highways has grouped to identify public places and facilities in the state that have adequate grounds to accommodate the patients with mild and moderate symptoms. These centers would be functioning with the parameters to treat the people, preventing them from getting into a severe state. 

The state has categorized the treatment plans for COVID-19 patients under four grounds -the severe cases would be moved to the hospitals, moderate cases would be kept under the health centers, mild cases would be accommodated at the care centers while the asymptomatic people would be kept under home quarantine. According to the figures, about 10% of the active patients need hospitalization, 20% of patients are required with the health centers, 50% need care centers while the rest can be kept under the home quarantine.

As of Sunday, Tamil Nadu has reported 44,661 positive cases of which 19,676 are active, 24,547 have been discharged, and 435 had succumbed to the virus. According to the Union Health Ministry, Tamil Nadu is the second state in India with the most number of cases after Maharashtra, which has reported 1,07,958 cases so far as of Monday morning.