Chennai, Jan 5 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu Health department has opened a Siddha Covid care centre in Periyar Maniammai hospital at Periyar Thidal in Veperi.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Health department said this 41-bed Covid care centre is the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu government has been campaigning for an integrated treatment to bring Covid cases under check and had announced that it would soon open a Siddha Covid care centre.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister, Ma Subramanian had already said that the state would go for an integrated treatment approach to cure Covid-19 and that the Indian system of medicine will be used along with allopathic medication.

The Minister in a statement on Wednesday urged the people to use all the available health care facilities to keep the Covid-19 infection at bay and stay healthy. He appealed to the people to wear masks, maintain social distancing, sanitisation and regular washing of hands.

The fresh Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu have risen from 1,728 cases on Monday to 2,731 on Tuesday and the test positivity rate rose from 0.7 per cent on December 30 to 2.6 per cent on Tuesday showing a quantum jump in the Covid figures.