A health worker collects a swab sample for the Covid-19 test on Anna Pillai Street in Chennai (file photo)
CHENNAI: As a series of unblocking measures have been taken, Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu have started to rise again. On Sunday, Tamil Nadu saw 6,495 cases and 94 deaths.
Recent infections topped 6,000 for the second day in a row after a month. Chennai recorded more than 1,200 cases for the third day in a row. Of the 52,721 active cases in the state, the city accounts for a quarter of them (13,472).
Chennai also recorded the most deaths with 16, followed by Salem with nine and Chengalpet with eight.
The Chennai region, comprising Chennai City, Chengalpet, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, continued to be responsible for the majority of deaths (33), followed by the western region (18).
Sunday’s count of 2,154 new cases increased the total number of active cases in the Chennai region to 19,804, while the western region with 1,267 cases added on Sunday had 10,316 active cases.
Coimbatore had the highest single-day count of 498 cases in its history, and it remains the district with the second-highest incidence in Tamil Nadu, only after Chennai. Despite the district’s total number of cases gradually approaching 15,000, the number of active cases remained at just over 3,500. The recovery rate also hit a new record with 451 people discharged. Although there are no new groups, cases have steadily increased in hotspots such as Selvapuram and Gandhipuram, and have spread to neighboring towns.
Southern districts reported 953 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, with Madurai’s account surpassing the 14,000 mark. Theni district reported the most cases, 176, in the south; Madurai had 134 cases.
The central region recorded its second highest peak in a single day of 754 cases, bringing the tally to more than 31,000
The state, meanwhile, has continued to aggressively test, with more than 83,000 samples tested by RT-PCR in approved labs on Sunday, 12,000 more than a week ago on August 23.
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