Tamil Nadu recorded a significant fall in fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, as 1,702 people tested positive for the infection.
After recording a positivity rate of 1.1% on Wednesday, the State’s positivity rate reduced further to 1.05% on Thursday. A total of 1,62,173 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
As the daily count dropped from 1,797 on Wednesday to 1,702, no district reported more than 200 cases.
Coimbatore’s daily cases fell below 200 after 20 days — 198 people tested positive. Chennai recorded 193 cases, while in Erode, they dropped marginally from 156 to 147. There were 112 cases in Thanjavur.
Cases dropped below 100 in both Chengalpattu and Salem districts — there were 98 cases in the former and 94 in the latter. There were 86 cases in Tiruppur and 64 in Tiruvallur.
The total number of cases in Vellore touched 48,558, with 29 more people testing positive. While 47,085 people have been discharged so far, its active cases stand at 367. Its toll stood at 1106. In Ranipet, 21 people tested positive, and the tally stood at 42,344. Tirupathur saw five fresh cases, and its tally reached 28,461. Tiruvannamalai district recorded 37 infections, taking the tally to 52,938. Of these, 51,820 people have been discharged so far, and the active cases stand at 472.
The fresh cases took the State’s tally to 25,95,935. Another 1,892 people were discharged after treatment. The active caseload fell below 20,000 — 19,864 people are under treatment. They include 2,303 people in Coimbatore and 2,074 in Chennai.
Twenty-nine people succumbed to COVID-19. The deaths included reconciled reports from Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts.
Zero fatalities
There were no fatalities in 23 districts. Coimbatore accounted for five deaths, while there were four in Chennai and three each in Tiruvarur, Tiruppur and Tiruchi. This took the toll to 34,639.
Among the deceased was a 33-year-old man from Dharmapuri who had no co-morbidities. He was admitted to the Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital on August 12, and died on August 17 due to COVID-19 pneumonia. Four more persons who succumbed to the infection were in their 30s.
