As many as 669 tested positive for COVID-19 infection in the State on Sunday, with Chennai accounting for 509 cases. Meanwhile, three more patients succumbed to the infection, taking the death toll to 47.
A 74-year-old man from Agaram in Selaiyur died within six hours of admission to the Chengalpattu medical college hospital around 12.20 p.m on Friday. The hospital authorities said he was a known cardiac patient. The hospital managed to do an ECG test and also a throat swab, as is the protocol. But his condition worsened and efforts to resuscitate him failed. Doctors said he died of pulmonary oedema. The results of the COVID-19 tests returned positive after his death.
A 59-year-old man, who was admitted to the Government Stanley Hospital in the city on May 7, died on Sunday around 2.30 a.m. Hospital authorities said the patient, who had type 2 diabetes, was also suffering from coronary artery disease. He was stable until around 1.30 a.m. on Sunday but “suddenly developed breathlessness and we lost him,” an official said. A 55-year-old man from Tiruvallur, who suffered from chronic kidney disease, was admitted to Government Kilpauk Hospital on May 4. The man too had type 2 diabetes and high BP. He tested positive for novel coronavirus infection and died around 1.20 a.m. on Saturday.
The bulletin from the Directorate of Public Health on Sunday said 13,376 samples were tested, taking the total number of samples tested till date to 2,43,037. The testing of 676 samples is under process. As many as 10,669 samples are repeat samples.
Among those who tested positive are as many as 29 children. Nearly half a dozen of them are aged below five years.
On Sunday, 135 persons were discharged from various hospitals in the State, taking the total number of those discharged till date to 1,959 persons. As many as 4,305 individuals, suspected to have the infection, are in isolation wards.
Of the 7,204* positive cases in the State, Chennai accounts for 3,171 cases. So far, 639 persons have been discharged from various hospitals in the city. The State now has 5,195 active cases, officials said.
(*Two deaths have been cross notified to other states. *One patient died after turning negative for infection.)