NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI/PUDUCHERRY, JAN 15
Fresh coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu reached the grim milestone of 24,000 infections in a single day and the new cases in Chennai neared the 9,000-mark. The State on Saturday recorded 23,989 new cases and 11 fatalities. This took the total number of cases reported so far to 29,15,948 and the death toll to 36,967.
On Friday, there were 23,459 cases and 26 fatalities. Chennai recorded 8,963 new infections.
Passengers, who returned from other States by road from Jharkhand (3), Bihar (2), West Bengal (2), one each from Gujarat, Sikkim, Kerala and Telangana, added to the total 23,989 positive cases today, according to a bulletin from the State Health Department here.
With 10,988 COVID-19 positive patients getting discharged following treatment today, the total recoveries thus far rose to 27,47,974. The number of active cases, including isolation, remains at 1,31,007. There were no new Omicron cases, said the bulletin.
Chennai continued to witness a steep increase in cases. Today, there were 8,978 fresh cases in the city followed by Chengalpattu with 2,854, Coimbatore 1,732 and Thiruvallur 1,478 cases, the bulletin said. Tenkasi is the only district to see the lowest at 21.
With 5,091 people getting discharged in a single day, the State capital’s net recoveries increased to 5,71,387 and six deaths on Saturday took the fatalities to 8,721. Chennai accounted for 6,34,793 positive cases while the active cases remain at 54,685.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary, State Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr J Radhakrishnan inspected the COVID-19 war-room amid a spike in cases.
The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr T S Selvavinayagam issued a set of guidelines for COVID-19 testing in the current scenario of surge in cases, as per the guidance of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). As per the guidelines, individuals with symptoms like cough, fever, loss of taste and breathlessness and those undertaking international trips and international travellers arriving to the State may be tested.
Apart from instructions on those who should be tested in hospital settings, the guidelines said individuals who are asymptomatic in community settings, contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19 unless identified as high-risk based on age or co-morbidities, patients who stand to be discharged as per home isolation guidelines, patients being discharged from a COVID-19 facility as per revised discharge policy and individuals undertaking inter-State domestic travel need not be tested.
Pudhcherry: test positivity rate shoots up to 51.75 pc
Puducherry reported 1,213 fresh Covid-19 cases during the last 24 hours ending 10 am on Saturday pushing the cumulative positives to 1,36,550.The test positivity rate shot up to 51.75 percent while fatality and recovery rates were 1.38 percent and 93.65 percent respectively.
The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 2,344 samples and the cases were spread over Puducherry 1100, Karaikal 93, Mahe 17 and Yanam three.
Director of Health G.Sriramulu said in a release that the active cases were 6,785 of whom 123 patients were undergoing treatment in hospitals and remaining 6,662 patients were in home isolation. He said 84 patients recovered and were discharged during last twenty-four hours while overall recoveries stood at 1,27,879.Two more patients, both hailing from Mahe, succumbed to the infection raising the toll to 1,886.
The Health Department has tested so far 20,92,714 samples and has found 17,74,724 to be negative.The department has administered so far 14,95,877 doses which comprised 9,05,903 first doses, 5,88,020 second and 1954 booster doses.
Meanwhile, the celebration of Tiruvalluvar Day (on the occasion of Maattu Pongal) was virtually a low key affair in Puducherry because of prevalence of the pandemic.Tamil scholars and representatives of outfits championing the cause of Tamil garlanded the statue of Tiruvalluvar in the neighbouring Orleanpet.
Ex-Puducherry CM Narayanasamy tests positive, remains in home isolation
Former Puducherry chief minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Narayanasamy has taken two doses of COVID-19 vaccination and also got his booster dose a few days ago. In a Facebook post, the former chief minister said he had tested COVID-19 positive with mild symptoms.
The former chief minister also said he had isolated himself at home and asked all those who had been in contact with him to get themselves tested and isolate themselves at home as well. A spokesman of the Health department told.
