Tamil Nadu saw another sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. A total of 743 persons, including 83 who returned from Maharashtra, tested positive, taking the State’s tally past the 13,000-mark. This, even as 987 persons were discharged from hospitals across the State.
Tamil Nadu now has a total of 13,191* cases. The surge in COVID-19 cases continued in Chennai, with its count climbing to 8,228. The city recorded 557 new cases, while its neighbouring districts Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur reported 58 and 23 cases, respectively.
Three deaths
As on date, a total of 5,882 persons have been discharged in the State. There are 7,219 active cases. Three more persons, including two women, died, taking the toll to 87. A 44-year-old woman from Tiruvallur was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) on May 18. She died on Tuesday due to respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and viral pneumonia.
A 70-year-old woman, a resident of Chennai, was admitted to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital on May 17. She had coronary heart disease. She died on Tuesday due to cardiogenic shock, acute coronary syndrome and old inferior wall myocardial infarction coronary heart disease.
The third patient, a 52-year-old man from Chennai, was admitted to RGGGH on May 19. He was a diabetic. He died on Wednesday due to respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis and septic shock, according to the bulletin issued by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
A health official said that overall, cases had reduced in many districts of the State, and the spurt in cases in places such as Chennai was mainly due to the Koyambedu cluster. “However, the situation is under control now,” he said.
Of the 743 fresh cases, there were 14 in Kancheepuram and one each in Pudukottai, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, Theni, Thoothukudi, Villupuram and Virudhunagar. A total of 83 persons, who returned from Maharashtra, tested positive in various districts — 21 in Thoothukudi, 16 in Tirunelveli, 11 in Tiruvannamalai, nine in Madurai, six in Villupuram, five each in Pudukottai and Virudhunagar, three in Chengalpattu, two each in Tenkasi and Theni, and one each in Dindigul, Kallakurichi and Krishnagiri. One more person, who had returned from New Delhi and was under railway quarantine, tested positive for COVID-19.
The number of samples tested stood at 11,894, while the number of persons tested was 11,441. So far, a total of 3,60,068 samples have been tested in the State. As on date, a total of 1,308 samples of persons who returned by train are under process. Of the total 3,891 samples lifted from these passengers, 2,580 returned negative for COVID-19, while three tested positive.
(*This is inclusive of two deaths cross-notified to other States and one patient who died after testing negative for the infection)
