The Union Territory recorded five COVID-19 deaths, the highest single-day toll in several months, and logged 1,897 fresh cases, detected from 4,801 tests, on Sunday.
All the five deaths occurred in Puducherry, taking the cumulative toll in the Union Territory to 1,906. The patients, including one woman, were in the 55-90 age range and had one or more co-morbidities.
The Union Territory has recorded as many as 19 deaths due to COVID-19 inside a week. Puducherry accounts for 1,488 of the overall toll, followed by 255 in Karaikal, 109 in Yanam 109 and 54 in Mahe.
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Of the fresh cases, Puducherry logged 1,395, Karaikal 342, Yanam 116 and Mahe 44.
With 1,264 recoveries from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the active cases stood at 15,696, of which 174 were in hospital and 15,522 in home isolation.
The test positivity rate was 39.51%, the case fatality rate 1.25% and the recovery rate 88.44%.
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The Union Territory has recorded an aggregate of 1,52,213 cases and 1,34,611 recoveries so far. Of an estimated 21.29 lakh tests conducted till date, over 17.94 lakh returned negative.
In all, 2,631 persons took the COVID-19 vaccine in the last 24 hours. The Union Territory has administered a total of 15,21,213 doses.
Third wave
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said the rise in COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory was part of a third wave surge across the country, and urged people to keep a vigil against the pandemic and follow COVID-19-appropriate norms.
Interacting with reporters after garlanding the statue of veteran freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, the Lieutenant Governor said although a total lockdown was enforced in several States, Puducherry had not done so in the interests of the livelihoods of people.
She appealed to people to not be complacent and adhere to safety protocols, and added that hospitals had been fully equipped to cope with any rise in admissions.