2,141 cases and 49 deaths in 1 day across Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Public health authorities ramped up testing across Tamil Nadu as Covid-19 infections continued to rise on Thursday. The state reported 2,141 cases, including 1,373 cases in Chennai, taking the total to 52,334. Forty-nine deaths were officially recorded, pushing the toll to 625. Chennai accounted for 501, not including the more than 200 deaths recorded by the civic body but not in the state’s register.
Officials said they were testing more people on the recommendation of doctors in the expert medical committee. On Thursday, the state tested 25,719 people pulling down the positivity rate to 8% from 11% on June 11, when the state was testing just 16,000 people. On June 9, when 13,000 people were tested, the positivity rate touched nearly13%.
‘Important to test more to isolate +ves’
National Institute of Epidemiology director Dr Prabhdeep Kaur said as testing increases more people will test positive. “It is important to test more people so we can isolate positive cases. That will stop the spread of infection. We have to keep our positivity rate below 5%,” she said.
Chennai adjoining districts -- Tiruvallur (123), Chengalpet (115), and Kancheepuram (55) -- together logged 293 cases. Barring Krishnagiri and Namakkal, all other districts recorded a spike in cases. While Erode recorded three cases, Nilgiris reported four. Among the 49 deceased, seven had no comorbidities and 11 others died within 24 hours of admission.