Chennai accounted for less than a third of the 4,231 fresh COVID-19 cases recorded in Tamil Nadu on Thursday. While the total number of persons discharged after treatment went past 50,000 in the city, a 25-day-old baby with a congenital anomaly was among the 65 fatalities reported across the State.
After recording less than 4,000 cases for three consecutive days, Tamil Nadu saw an increase, with 4,231 persons testing positive. This took its overall tally to 1,26,581*.
The infant, from Tiruvannamalai, was admitted to the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai, on June 27. She underwent three surgeries for a congenital anomaly. “The baby had Hirschsprung’s disease (congenital megacolon). Usually, a surgery is done in two stages. We took the baby for surgery after sending a sample for COVID-19 testing. The first surgery was for ileostomy. The swab returned positive for COVID-19, and the baby’s post-operative care was provided in the COVID-19 ward,” a senior doctor said.
Two more surgeries were performed. “But the baby had complications due to the anomaly and bacterial infection,” he said. The baby died on July 7 due to septicaemia, Hirschsprung’s disease, multiple laparotomies, COVID-19 and cardiac arrest, according to a bulletin issued by the Health Department.
A 39-year-old man from Chennai was admitted to a private hospital with complaints of fever for four days, sore throat and loss of smell. He died on the same day owing to COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. A 59-year-old man, who tested positive for COVID-19 on June 28 and who was under home isolation, was declared brought dead at a private hospital on July 8. He had diabetes and systemic hypertension and was taken to the hospital owing to sudden unresponsiveness.
Chennai continued to stay at the 1,200-mark for the third day running. With 1,216 fresh cases, the city’s overall count stood at 73,728.
The State’s recovery rate stood at 61%, with 3,994 more persons discharged after treatment. Of these, 2,700 were discharged in Chennai. As of date, a total of 78,161 persons were discharged in the State, while 46,652 persons were under treatment. The State’s toll increased to 1,765. Of the 65 deaths, 23 were in Chennai and nine in Madurai.
A total of 42,369 samples were tested on Thursday, the highest number to be tested on a single day. The total number of samples tested so far has gone up to 14,91,783. A total of 41,038 individuals were tested on a single day.
New cases
Over 70% of the fresh cases were from the rest of the State. Tiruvallur led the daily count with 364 cases. Virudhunagar and Madurai followed with 289 and 261 cases respectively. Kallakurichi witnessed a spike in cases, with 231 persons testing positive.
There were 196 cases in Thoothukudi, 169 in Chengalpattu and 110 in Tirunelveli. Tiruchi reported 93 cases, while Theni had 90 cases. Kanyakumari reported 89 cases, Vellore, 87, Coimbatore, 85, Salem, 84, and Ranipet, 79. A total of 145 returnees, including 17 from Kuwait and 31 from Karnataka, tested positive in Tamil Nadu.
Two more testing facilities — the District Headquarters Hospital, Perambalur, and GeneTeq Immuno-Molecular Lab Pvt Ltd, Salem — were approved for testing. With this, the State has 100 testing facilities — 53 in the government sector and 47 in the private sector.
(*This is inclusive of two deaths cross-notified to other States and one patient who died after testing negative for the infection.)
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/chennai-accounts-for-less-than-a-third-of-fresh-cases/article32037112.ece
