The central region on Wednesday recorded 283 fresh COVID-19 cases, 106 of them from Thanjavur.
Two shops in the congested Gandhi Market in Tiruchi were closed for sanitisation while samples were lifted from vendors after five people, including four vendors, tested positive on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there was an increase in the number of deaths due to the viral infection with five patients, two from Nagapattinam and one each from Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Tiruchi succumbing.
Two women, aged 54 and 70, both with a history of diabetes, succumbed to COVID-19 in Nagapattinam. A 65-year-old woman with a history of hypertension from Thanjavur, an 80-year-old diabetic woman from Tiruvarur and a 39-year-old man from Tiruchi died of the viral infection.
In Thanjavur, 106 patients, among whom were eight teaching staff of Government College for Women, Kumbakonam, and three from the Combined Court Complex in Kumbakonam. As many as 189 samples were lifted from teachers and students at the women's college of which eight returned positive.
In Tiruchi, 56 fresh cases were reported on Wednesday. . Officials of the Tiruchi City Corporation said that 125 throat swabs from the Gandhi Market were lifted and have been sent for testing. Meanwhile, officials would be lifting more throat swabs on Thursday at random, from vendors and consumers, at the market, the official said.
Tiruvarur reported 47 fresh cases and Nagapattinam, 41. In Pudukottai, 19 patients reported positive, and nine in Karur. Perambalur district reported three fresh cases on Wednesday, and Ariyalur, two.
