Covid-19: Chennai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin have high test positivity rates – Times of India

CHENNAI: More than 15 of every 100 people tested for Covid-19 in Chennai, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts returned positive, public health authorities said on Thursday, when 107 deaths and 17,897 new cases were registered. It is for the first-time deaths crossed the three-digit mark in 2021 for Tamil Nadu, and with 40 deaths, Chennai had the highest daily number since March 2020.
At the end of the day, there were 1,12,556 active cases, the death toll touched 13,933 and cumulative cases 11,48,064. At least 34 of the 37 districts had more than100 cases and 22 districts reported deaths. After Chennai, Kancheepuram had the most deaths (11), followed by Madurai (8).
“We have to acknowledge cases are increasing everywhere,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. Though the state did not announce lockdown, it has asked district administrators and health officials to ensure they ramp up testing and improve contract tracing. In Chennai, the positivity rate was the highest as 20 of every 100 people tested returned positive, followed by 17 in Tirunelveli and 16 in Tuticorin. The test positivity rate in Tenkasi was 14.2% and at least 13 more districts had a positivity rate above 10%.
While Tirunelveli has seven labs including six in the private sector, Tuticorin has only two and Tenkasi one. District health authorities send samples to neighbouring districts such as Madurai. While Tirunelveli tracked four contacts, Tuticorin tracked seven Virudhunagar and Dharmapuri districts tracked just two contacts for every index case.
On Thursday, active cases crossed the four-digit mark in 28 districts, Chennai topping with 31,308. On Thursday, the state opened 150 oxygen beds and 100 non-oxygen beds at Women and Children Hospital in Egmore. Stanley Medical College, which has 1,200 isolation beds for Covid-19 patients, will add 1,250 beds (900 oxygen beds) in the six-floor super specialty block, dean Dr P Balaji said. By May 7, the state will add at least 8,225 beds to state-run Covid hospitals in the city.
On Thursday, Chennai added 5,445 cases and 40 deaths, while neighbouring Chengalpet had 1,164 cases and seven deaths. Coimbatore added 1,008 cases, Tirunelveli reported 849 new cases, followed by 604 in Madurai and 576 in Tuticorin. Trichy reported 403 new cases.