This story is from June 26, 2020

3,509 fresh Covid cases in Tamil Nadu, 1,834 in Chennai, authorities blame it on tests

Fresh cases of Covid-19 infection in Tamil Nadu touched 3,509 on Thursday with authorities claiming increased testing had pushed up the numbers. The state’s case tally has now reached 70,997, though the number of people still under treatment is 30,064. The 45 deaths reported took the official toll to 911.
3,509 fresh Covid cases in Tamil Nadu, 1,834 in Chennai, authorities blame it on tests
People being screened at a Covid-19 testing booth at Valasaravakkam in Chennai on Thursday.
CHENNAI: Fresh cases of Covid-19 infection in Tamil Nadu touched 3,509 on Thursday with authorities claiming increased testing had pushed up the numbers. The state’s case tally has now reached 70,997, though the number of people still under treatment is 30,064. The 45 deaths reported took the official toll to 911.
With 1,834 cases Chennai remained the hotspot and its three neighbouring districts, Chengalpet (191), Kancheepuram (98) and Tiruvallur (170), together logged 459 cases.
However, three other districts registered three-digit spikes in fresh cases Madurai (203), which also under intense lockdown like Chennai and its three neighbours, Vellore (168) and Ramanathapuram (140). The state is ramping up medical infrastructure in these districts.
“The state and medical teams have done their bit, the incidence can be brought down only if people avoid going out without a reason, wear masks when they step out, follow hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette,” said former director of public health Dr K Kolandaswamy. On Thursday, 30,307 persons (including nearly 10,000 people in Chennai) were tested across the state compared to 25,234 on June 22. “We are going with the advice from medical experts that testing will help us isolate positive case and prevent the spread. People are being screened actively and brought to testing centres. We are planning to ramp up testing across the state. As we loosen lockdown, we expect an increase across the state including interior districts,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.
The spike in cases is already putting immense pressure on Chennai’s health infrastructure. While 18,969 people in Chennai were under treatment, Chengalpet had 1,986, Kancheepuram 782 and Tiruvallur 1,160 active cases. “Most people without symptoms are being advised to stay at home or go to Covid care centres so we can reserve hospital beds for patients who need drugs, periodic monitoring and intervention such as high-flow oxygen or life support,” said the health secretary.
Many frontline workers including doctors and in nurses in Chennai continued to be affected by the virus. At the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital, at least eight undergraduate resident doctors tested positive on Thursday, according to hospital dean Dr P Balaji. “They were not on Covid duty, they are infected because they are working in a containment zone,” he said.
The doubling time – period it takes for the total number of cases to double – has come down to 15 days (with a seven-day average) in Tamil Nadu compared to 16 days on June 22, as per calculations by epidemiologists at the National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai. However, in Chennai, the doubling rate increased to 19 days during the same period. The doubling rate for TN was two weeks and a day less for Chennai on June 14.

Of the 45 casualties, two died within hours of admission. A 62-year-old man from Chennai admitted to a private medical college on Monday with complaints of fever, difficulty in breathing, cough and diarrhoea died within three hours of admission. He had no comorbidities. A 60-year-old man from Chennai admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday morning with complaints of fever and breathlessness died by 12.30 pm. A dozen more people on the list died a day after admission. While 29 of them were above 60 years of age, there were three people in their 30s, three in their 40s and 10 in their 50s. The total death toll, however, did not include more than 200 Covid deaths in Chennai registered by the civic body, but not recorded in the state count.
On Thursday, 2,236 people were declared fit for discharge by doctors. So far, 39,999 people have recovered from the illness and recovery rate touched 56%.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA