NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, AUG 16
Tamil Nadu on Sunday recorded 5,950 fresh COVID-19 cases and 125 deaths, taking the total infection count in the state to 3.38 lakh, the health department said.
With 125 deaths, the toll in the state rose to 5,766. Recoveries outnumbered the new cases with 6,019 people getting discharged taking the total number of those discharged to 2.78 lakh till date.
The number of active cases including those in isolation was at 54,019, the health department bulletin said. Chennai recorded 1,196 new cases today, pushing the tally to 1.16 lakh so far.
Since August 3, the state has been reporting three digit fatalities. With testing being ramped up, 70,450 samples were tested by government authorised and privately run laboratories today, totalling to 37.11 lakh so far. Among the new infections reported today, 32 were domestic returnees while one individual was from abroad, the bulletin said.
Besides Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpet collectively saw the number of cases going up by 1,231 cases. Ranipet, Tirupathur, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi recorded a total of 728 new cases, while Madurai, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Kanyakumari logged 957. Coimbatore, Dindigul, Pudukottai also saw the number of new infections go up in three digits, the bulletin said.
Among the 125 deaths, 17 were without comorbidity, the bulletin said adding a 21 year old woman from neighbouring Chengalpet died due to ”COVID-pneumonia”. A 90 year old man from the city died on August 15 owing to acute respiratory distress syndrome, the bulletin said. A 32 year old man from Madurai succumbed to the virus on August 13 after he was admitted to the Government Hospital in the district, the bulletin said. As many as 83 out of the 125 were above the age of 60 years, the bulletin noted.
