TN COVID-19 cases breach 17K mark; 7 deaths push toll to 118

Seven more people succumbed to the coronavirus in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed its highest single day spike of 805 cases, taking the infection count in the state to 17,082, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said. With the new fatalities, the death toll in the state has risen to 118 and 84 per cent of them with co-morbidities. Chennai continued to lead in the number of positive cases with 549 recorded on Monday, taking the total to 11,131.

Adjoining districts of Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur, where the suburban areas of the metropolis fall, followed the city in higher number of cases with 832 and 764 respectively. The number of recoveries also was significant at 407, constituting more than half of the people who turned positive during the day.

Briefing reporters, Baskar said 93 of the new cases were returnees -- 87 from Maharashtra, two from Kerala, three from Gujarat and one individual from Andhra Pradesh -- all of whom came by road and tested positive after screening at border check-posts.

Among those who turned positive on Monday were 491 men and 314 women, he said. Baskar said 407 people were discharged on Monday, taking the total recoveries so far to 8,731 while the active cases were 8,230.

On the seven latest fatalities, he said five of them died in government hospital and two in private hospitals. Noting that the government had been taking various precautionery measures in containing the spread of virus, he said the strategy of the government focused on aggressive testing, early diagnosis, proper clinical management, treating the patients and later discharging them.

"Tamil Nadu ranks top in conducting the number of tests. We have 68 testing facilities," the minister said. He said the Centre and the World Health Organisation have lauded the state government's efforts in conducting testing. Till date 4,21,450 samples were tested, the highest among the states in the country, he said.

He said as many as 942 people, including 726 from Maharashtra, who arrived in the state through various modes of transport in the last one week have tested positive for the virus. On resumption of flight operations in the state, he said it was a new challenge to the government and it has issued guidelines which include testing of passengers by thermal screening and checking them for any symptoms by a medical team.

"If they are found to be asymptomatic by the medical team at the airport they would stamp those passengers in hand and send them to 14 day quarantine period", he said. Data gathered through tests would be made available and a medical team based on its analysis would be able to make suitable recommendations to the government, he said.

Another significant finding from a research conducted by the medical team in the last three months was 88 per cent of the positive cases were 'asymptomatic' while only 12 per cent were 'symptomatic', he said. Among the symptomatic, about 40 per cent of them had fever, 37 per cent cough, 10 per cent sore throat, nine per cent complained of breathlessness and four per cent suffered from 'running nose'.

Based on an audit of the deaths caused due to COVID-19, he said 84 per cent of those who lost their lives were 'co- morbidity' cases. The Minister later tweeted that the best practices followed by Tamil Nadu for COVID-19 clinical management has been appreciated by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

"We will continue increased testing and fetch data for analysis for future preparedness with reference to infrastructure facilities, drugs stock, manpower. With public cooperation we will overcome", he tweeted.