The number of those testing positive for COVID-19 fell below 600, to 589, in Tamil Nadu on Sunday. The State has 5,940 active cases, and 8,30,772 persons have tested positive so far, according to the daily bulletin of the Directorate of Public Health.
The discharge of 770 persons after treatment took the tally to 8,12,568. Seven more deaths pushed the toll to 12,264.
Perambalur and Tenkasi districts recorded no fresh cases. At the same time, 20 districts recorded less than 10 cases each.
Chennai count
In Chennai district, 164 fresh cases were identified and three persons died. As on Sunday, 1,959 persons were undergoing treatment either at healthcare facilities or at home, while 147 persons were discharged after treatment. So far, 2,29,074 positive cases have been recorded and 2,23,050 persons have been treated and discharged. The district accounts for 4,065 deaths.
While one person died due to the infection at a private hospital, six others died of pre-existing conditions.
A 59-year-old man from Chennai who tested positive on January 15 and was admitted to a private hospital the same day with complaints of fever and generalised tiredness for 27 days died on the night of January 16. The hospital cited COVID-19 pneumonia as the cause.
The oldest person to die of the infection was an 80-year-old woman from Chengalpattu. She was diabetic and hypertensive, and she also had an earlier episode of cerebrovascular accident. In the early hours of January 11, she was admitted to the Chengalpattu Medical College Hospital. She tested positive for COVID-19 on January 9 and died on January 14. Doctors cited COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome as the causes. Health authorities said they had so far tested 1,52,29,307 samples.