Fresh infections continued to surge in Chennai, as 1,364 more persons tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. The city has been reporting over 1,000 cases daily since September 24.
With 5,622 new cases, the State’s tally climbed to 6,14,507.
As many as 5,596 persons were discharged, taking the total number of persons discharged so far to 5,58,534. The number of active cases stood at 46,255.
A total of 65 persons — 41 in government hospitals and 24 in private facilities — died, taking the State’s toll to 9,718. Of this, 21 persons died in Chennai, seven in Salem and six in Cuddalore.
This included a 23-year-old man from Coimbatore who was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on September 23. He was on chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. He died on October 1, due to COVID-19 pneumonia and cardio respiratory failure.
With the new cases, Chennai’s tally rose to 1,71,415. The city has, so far, accounted for 12,311 active cases and 3,262 deaths. A total of 1,55,842 persons have been discharged in the city till now.
Public health officials attributed the steady rise in fresh cases in the city to residents’ non-compliance with norms.
“Many people are still not adhering to precautionary norms, including mask wearing, physical distancing and handwashing. It is important to disinfect places, and avoid unnecessary travel and crowding,” an official said.
Districts’ daily count
There were 486 new cases in Coimbatore, while Chengalpattu and Salem recorded 395 and 351 cases respectively. Tiruvallur reported 290 cases, while Thanjavur continued to witness a surge, with 244 new infections.
Eight districts recorded 100-plus new cases. This included Tiruppur (167), Namakkal (150) and the Nilgiris (146).
Till date, 24,094 children aged below 12 and 79,322 persons aged over 60 have tested positive for COVID-19 in the State.
A total of 87,311 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. Till date, 76,13,999 samples have been tested.
Aarthi Scans and Labs in Kovilpatti was approved for COVID-19 testing, taking the total number of private laboratories approved for testing in the State to 123.
