While fresh cases have been on the decline, Chennai’s tally on Sunday crossed the two-lakh mark, with 686 more persons testing positive for COVID-19. It took three months for the city to add one lakh more cases, taking its tally to 2,00,533.
The State recorded 2,504 fresh cases, taking its tally to 7,27,026. Another 3,644 persons were discharged, and 30 more persons succumbed to the infection. With this, a total of 6,94,880 persons have been discharged so far, even as the toll touched 11,152. Active cases dipped further to 20,994.
Coimbatore reported 248 cases, Chengalpattu 145 and Tiruvallur 136. A total of 110 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Salem, while the remaining 32 districts saw less than 100 cases. This included Erode with 98 cases and Tiruppur with 85. Ramanathapuram and Tenkasi had the least number of cases (three each).
Chennai, Coimbatore, Chengalpattu, Salem, Tiruvallur, Tiruppur and Kancheepuram are the districts that have reported a higher number of cases in the last seven days. As per data available with the Health Department, positivity rate has been declining across the State. In the last four weeks, the positivity rate dropped from 9.7% (October 2-8) to 6.8% (October 23-29) in Chennai. Similarly, in Coimbatore, the positivity rate declined from 8.7% (October 2-8) to 5.6% (October 23-29).
However, the festive season has sounded an alarm in the Health Department. “We should not be complacent, keeping in mind the situation in Europe, the U.S. and a few States in the country itself. Due to the festival season and a tendency to shop, all have been directed to follow the standard operating procedures,” an official of the Department said.
He added that campaigns stressing importance of wearing masks had been intensified. “We have also asked district-level officials to conduct strict fever surveillance and ensure that clusters, if any, are immediately followed up with intensive contact tracing, testing and containment. We should keep emphasising on COVID-19-appropriate behaviour,” he said.
Of the 30 deceased, 15 persons died in private hospitals and an equal number of persons in government facilities. Chennai accounted for 11 of these deaths, followed by five in Kancheepuram. Coimbatore recorded no deaths.
This included two persons in their 30s. A 31-year-old man from Chennai, who had diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease, was admitted to a private hospital, with complaints of fever for six days and cough for two days on October 22. He died on October 31 due to acute respiratory distress syndrome and COVID-19 pneumonia.
The second person — a 33-year-old man from Chengalpattu — had systemic hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. He was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on October 29, but he died on October 31 due to COVID-19 pneumonia and respiratory failure.
One more private laboratory — the Molecular Lab at Karpagam Hospital, Coimbatore — was approved for COVID-19 testing. As of date, there are a total of 203 testing facilities in the State.
