156 new cases of Covid in Chennai; 1,218 across Tamil Nadu – Times of India

CHENNAI: The number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu dropped below the 15,000-mark after 201 days.
On March 31, the state had 15,879 active cases. After that, the infection spread at a faster rate and reached its peak on May 28, when 3.12 lakh patients were undergoing treatment in hospitals and homes.
The state government was struggling to find adequate ICU and oxygen-supported beds back then. Less than five percent of the 56,600 such beds in Covid hospitals were available.
Five months down the line, the state has managed to not only create adequate infra but also reduce the infection figures. At present, there are 14,814 active cases in Tamil Nadu still the third highest in the country next to Kerala (87,657) and Maharashtra (28,631).
Another worrying fact is that throughout the declining phase, TN’s case-fatality ratio has remained above one percent. This meant that for every 100 confirmed cases, at least one unfortunately passed away from the virus.
The state has so far witnessed 35,899 Covid deaths. This included 15 people, who died in the last 24 hours. All of them had comorbidities.
But on the positive side, the number of new Covid-19 cases has continued to drop in Tamil Nadu. On Sunday, as many as 1,218 got infected.
Chennai with a Test Positivity Rate (TPR) of 0.8 % once again topped the state’s infection chart with 156 new cases. Coimbatore with 139 fresh cases has a slightly higher TPR of 1.3%. TN’s overall TPR remained unchanged at 0.9 % for the past one week.
J Radhakrishnan, state health secretary, said that even when the infection spread has reduced, people should be careful during the festive season. “Of late, many are getting infected after returning from other states and participating in family functions,” he said.
After five successful mass vaccination camps on Sundays, Tamil Nadu did not organise the sixth such camp this weekend because of the festive season. In the forthcoming mass camp, TN will prioritise people, who are due for their second dose, said Ma Subramanian, health minister.