Puducherry recorded its highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases with 571 admissions while the death toll went up to 172 after eight more patients succumbed to the virus. It pushed the total of COVID-19 cases past the 11,000-mark.
Puducherry accounted for five deaths, Karaikal two and Yanam one. The patients, including one woman, were in the 50-75 age-group.
There are currently 1,907 patients in hospitals and 2,074 in home isolation. During the last 24 hours, 331 patients were discharged. The tally stood at 172 deaths, 3,981 active cases, a cumulative total of 11,426 cases and 7,273 discharges. The Health Department has so far tested 65,769 samples, of which 52,857 returned negative.
ICMR deputes team
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has deputed a three-member team of experts from the National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai to assist in the containment of the pandemic in Puducherry.
The ICMR deputed the epidemiologists to help the three-member Jipmer team which was recently appointed by the Centre, based on an appeal made by Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi. In a letter to Ms. Bedi, ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava said that on the basis of her telephone conversation with him, he was sending a panel comprising Manoj V. Murhekar, Scientist ‘G’ and NIE Director, P. Ganesh Kumar, Scientist ‘D’, and N. Nesan, scientist ‘C’.
The team is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday and meet the Lt. Governor.
