As many as 5,584 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Chennai reported 993 fresh cases and Coimbatore 445.
Currently, 49,203 persons are undergoing treatment in the State. As many as 6,516 persons were discharged on Wednesday, taking the total figure to 4,23,231. The State recorded 78 deaths — 57 in government hospitals and 21 in private hospitals. This took the toll to 8,090.
Tamil Nadu has reported 4,80,524 cases of COVID-19 till date.
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Age range
Among the 78 persons who died, 32 were in their 60s, while 22 were in their 70s.
A 46-year-old woman from Madurai, who had no co-morbid conditions, was admitted to a private hospital on September 8 with complaints of fever for 10 days, breathlessness for a day and cough for a week. However, she died on the same day due to acute respiratory distress syndrome and COVID-19 pneumonia.
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Fourteen persons died in Chennai, while 9 persons died in Tiruvallur. Coimbatore recorded six deaths, while Krishnagiri and Tiruchi had five deaths each.
After Chennai and Coimbatore, Cuddalore accounted for the third highest number of daily cases, with 344 persons testing positive for COVID-19. Tiruvallur reported 281 cases and Salem 279. Chengalpattu had 237 infections.
Fourteen districts accounted for 100-plus cases. They included Nagapattinam (172), Kancheepuram (171) and Tiruvannamalai (142).
With the fresh cases, Chennai’s tally rose to 1,44,595, of which 10,854 were active cases. The city accounts for 2,910 deaths. Chengalpattu has reported 29,231 cases and 467 deaths till date.
A total of 82,573 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The total number of samples tested so far stands at 55,44,850.
Toll rises in U.T.
Puducherry recorded 10 more deaths, taking its toll to 347, while 341 new cases pushed the overall tally beyond the 18,000-mark.
Puducherry recorded 9 deaths and Karaikal one. The patients, including five women, were in the 32-83 age group, said Health Director S. Mohan Kumar.
Of the new cases, Puducherry accounted for 302 cases, Yanam 22, Mahe 15 and Karaikal two.
The tally is 347 deaths, 4,770 active cases, a cumulative total of 18,084 and 12,967 patients discharged. The fatality was 1.92% and recovery rate 71.70%.
CM’s appeal
Meanwhile, Chief Minister V, Narayanasamy called on the aged in general and specifically the elderly with ailments such as blood pressure, diabetes, respiratory problem and cancer to take extra precautions.
“One of the main reasons for the high number of deaths is that COVID-19 goes undetected in many elderly patients who self-medicate for fever, and by the time they reach hospital and are tested, their condition turns life-threatening,” Mr. Narayanasamy said.
“The elderly should remain at home and not step out. In case they develop fever, they should immediately approach hospitals and not engage in self-medication,” the Chief Minister said.