NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, APR 21
Tamil Nadu continued to witness a spike in COVID-19 infections adding 11,681 new cases on Wednesday, pushing the caseload to 10,25,059, while 53 deaths took the toll to 13,258, the health department said.
The state for the first time breached the grim 10,000 mark on Sunday by adding 10,723 new infections while on Monday it was 10,941 new cases and 10,986 on Tuesday.
Recoveries mounted to 9,27,440 today with 7,071 patients being discharged, leaving 84,361 active cases.
Chennai accounted for 3,750 new infections, totalling to 2,94,073 till date.
The metropolis also leads in the number of fatalities with 4,450 people succumbing to the virus.
The number of samples tested today was at 1,12,661, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 2,15,13,210.
Besides Chennai, 24 districts have clocked new infections in triple digits.
Chengalpet recorded 947 new cases today, Coimbatore 715, Cuddalore 147, Dindigul 185, Erode 284, Kancheepuram 263, Kanyakumari 171, Krishnagiri 259, Madurai 462, Namakkal 200, Ranipet 203, Salem 401, Tenkasi 115, Thanjavur 179, Theni 148, Thiruvallur 529, Thiruvannamalai 135, Tuticorin 275, Tirunelveli 426, Tiruppur 238, Tiruchirappalli 357, Vellore 286, Villupuram 109 and Virudhunagar 101, the bulletin said.
As many as 70 people, who tested positive today, were returnees from various destinations, the bulletin said.
Lt Guv Tamilisai Soundararajan appeals public to get vaccinated without delay
Puducherry registered 619 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday pushing the total caseload to 49,593 while the toll climbed to 722 as five more people succumbed to the infection.
Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said there were 5,404 active cases which included 1,036 patients taking treatment in hospitals while the remaining 4368 patients were in home isolation.
He said 43,467 patients recovered and were discharged so far from hospitals.
Of the total new cases Puducherry region alone accounted for 470 cases followed by Karaikal 70, Yanam 41 and Mahe 38. The 619 cases were identified at the end of examination of 5607 samples during last twenty four hours.
The Director also said the fatality and recovery rates were 1.46 percent and 87.65 percent respectively. Kumar said of the 7.43 lakh samples tested so far 6.73 lakh samples turned out to be negative.
Vaccination drive
Inaugurated Special #CovidVaccination Camp at PIMS Hospital #Puducherry
புதுச்சேரி பிம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனையில் கொரோனா தடுப்பூசி சிறப்பு முகாமை தொடங்கி வைத்துள்ளேன். தகுதியானவர்கள் கொரானா தடுப்பூசி செலுத்திக் கொள்ளுங்கள்.@PMOIndia @narendramodi @rashtrapatibhvn @HMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/aAYBfPOc6F
— Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (மோடியின் குடும்பம் ) (@DrTamilisai4BJP) April 21, 2021
On the vaccination drive, he noted that 30,473 health care workers and 18,128 front line workers have been inoculated so far in the Union Territory. The second phase of vaccination meant to cover those above 60 years or those above 45 years with co-morbidities has benefitted 1,09,471 people. Meanwhile, Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan inaugurated a vaccination festival at a privately managed hospital PIMS near here and said people should not hesitate to receive vaccination to prevent the pandemic.
She said Puducherry was perhaps the only state where the vaccination programme was being implemented in a coordinated manner in association with private medical colleges and hospitals under Public Private partnership.
Soundararajan further said a day’s delay in getting the shot would mean delaying anti bodies and hence no hesitation should be shown by the people to get the inoculation.
The Lt Governor said she had herself visited a vaccine manufacturing lab in Hyderabad recently and procured the vaccine for Puducherry. Averring that Puducherry did not face any shortage of vaccines, she said the union territory should emerge as first in the country as a whole for cent percent coverage of people under vaccination programmes.
No adverse reaction or side effect would arise after taking the vaccination, the Lt Governor contended and added that from May 1 those above 18 years would also be inoculated against the pandemic.
Health Secretary T Arun, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services, Advisers to Lt Governor Chandramouli and Maheshwari and officials of the hospital were among those who spoke.
