Three districts — Ariyalur, Kallakurichi and Perambalur — reported no new COVID-19 case, and 11 districts saw less than 10 infections each on Saturday, as 910 more persons tested positive in Tamil Nadu.
The new cases took the State’s tally to 8,19,845. Another 1,007 persons were discharged, taking the total number of persons discharged so far to 7,99,427. The State recorded 11 more deaths, taking its toll to 12,146.
Presently, 8,272 persons, including 2,462 in Chennai and 779 in Coimbatore, are under treatment for COVID-19.
In Chennai, 246 persons tested positive, while Coimbatore and Chengalpattu saw 78 and 64 cases each respectively.
There were 43 cases in Tiruvallur and 42 in Tiruppur.
Erode and Thanjavur reported 36 and 35 cases respectively, while in Kancheepuram saw 34 and Salem 31. Among the 11 districts that recorded under 10 cases each were Ramanathapuram (4), Ranipet (7) and Virudhunagar (6).
Four persons in Chennai, three in Nagapattinam, two in Tiruppur and one each in Ramanathapuram and Salem died of the infection.
Two of them did not have co-morbidities.
A 47-year-old woman from Salem, who tested positive for COVID-19 on December 24 and 29, was admitted to a private hospital on December 23 with complaints of fever, cough and difficulty in breathing for four days. She died on January 2 due to acute respiratory distress syndrome and COVID-19 pneumonia.
Another woman, also aged 47, died a day after admission at the Tiruvarur Medical College Hospital, due to COVID-19 pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, mesenteric panniculitis, acute kidney injury and haematological malignancy on December 31.
As many as 62,401 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. Till date, 1,43,21,046 samples have been tested in the State.
One more private laboratory — Clinical Laboratory Services, Gleneagles Global Health City in Chennai — was approved for COVID-19 testing.
There are a total of 238 testing facilities in the State.
Of the nearly 2,300 passengers who travelled from the U.K., between November 25 and December 23, 2,131 have been traced and tested, so far.
Of them, 24 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 and 2,079 negative. The results of 28 persons are awaited.
Though 2,079 persons tested negative, 2,005 of their contacts have been traced and tested as a precautionary measure.
All of their results have returned negative for the infection, according to a health bulletin.