Chennai, May 11 (IANS): The Greater Chennai Corporation has handed over 300 oxygen concentrators to the government hospitals in the city for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

A total of 50 concentrators were handed over to the Covid care centre at the Stanley Medical College, 33 to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, 50 to the Kings Institute Guindy, 80 to the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet, 40 to the Chennai Trade Centre and 40 to the Kodambakkam Meenakshi Care Centre. As many as 293 of the total 300 oxygen concentrators received have been distributed till now.

The oxygen concentrators were donated to the Tamil Nadu government by companies like OLAM International and Temasek in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. The Chief Minister had in turn called upon the Corporation to distribute the oxygen concentrators to the various hospitals in the city involved in the treatment of Covid patients.

An 114-bed Covid care facility is being set up at the Tondiarpet Communicable Diseases Hospital. Newly appointed Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagan Singh Bedi has visited the facility and held a meeting with the top officials from the hospital, police and the revenue department.

Chennai is witnessing a spike in Covid cases and the Corporation has already taken a decision to appoint 2,000 focus volunteers in addition to the present 2,000.

The state government has also requested the Centre for 20,000 vials of Remdisivir amid reports of huge queues in front of the hospitals selling the drug.