A total of 604 persons tested positive for COVID-19 from 1,01,713 RT-PCR tests on Wednesday, taking the tally in the State to 27,41,617.
Five passengers, including one arriving from Andhra Pradesh and two each from the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, were among the fresh infections identified on Wednesday.
Over 22% of the new cases, amounting to 136, were identified in Chennai. In Coimbatore, 94 tested positive in the last 24 hours. In the six districts — Ariyalur, Mayiladuthurai, Perambalur, Ranipet, Tenkasi and Theni — no new cases were reported. In 19 districts, fewer than 10 persons were infected.
Erode (47), Tirupur (48), Salem (33) and Namakkal (29) reported the highest number of infections among the western districts. Among the northern districts Chengalpattu (43), Tiruvallur (20) and Kancheepuram (15) had the most number of cases.
As many as 695 persons were discharged, bringing up the number of recoveries to 26,97,939. Currently, 6,979 are under treatment.
The State also recorded eight deaths, including five in government healthcare facilities and three in private hospitals. So far, 36,699 casualties have been reported, according to the daily health bulletin of the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
All the deaths that were recorded were due to comorbidities in the patients. The oldest person to succumb to the infection was an 82-year-old man from Krishnagiri who had Type-2 diabetes, severe hypertension and coronary artery disease. He was admitted on December 11 in the Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital and tested positive for the infection the next day. He died a few hours after, and the hospital recorded his death as due to COVID-19 pneumonia.
Earlier in the day Health minister Ma. Subramanian said the State would conduct a mega vaccination camp on Sunday, and an estimated 92 lakh people were expected to benefit.
In the last 24 hours, in 3,412 vaccination camps held, 1,54,626 persons had benefited.
The beneficiaries include 26 healthcare workers; 137 frontline workers; 86,767 persons in the 18 to 44 years age group; and 43,148 persons aged 45 to 59 years. As many as 24,548 senior citizens also were vaccinated, bringing up the total number of persons vaccinated till date to 7,82,58,992.
A total of 2,599 persons got the shot in private hospitals. Since May 1, private centres have vaccinated 28,06,162 persons.
