CHENNAI: Fresh cases in
Tamil Nadu crossed the 800 mark for the
second consecutive day on Tuesday when the state added 867 fresh cases and five deaths to the Covid-19 registry. The case tally went up to 8,61,429, while the cumulative death toll touched 12,556. There were 5,450 patients on the active cases list.
On March 9, the state had 4,073 active cases, when it was reporting an average of 550 cases a day. Since then, there has been a steady increase in the number of fresh cases every day, particularly in the Chennai region that comprises Chennai, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.
On March 9, the four districts reported 342 fresh and 2,499 active cases. On Tuesday, according to data released by the directorate of public health, the region had 516 active cases and 3,089 active cases. Hotspot Chennai reported 352 new cases and 2,135 active cases compared to 236 new cases and 1,876 active cases on March 9.
After Chennai, Chengalpet reported 86 new cases. Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram had 55 and 23 new cases. Of the five deaths, Chennai reported three and Chengalpet and Tiruvallur reported one each. Coimbatore reported the third highest number of cases with 81 new cases, followed by Thanjavur (51) and Tirupur (23). While 18 districts reported a single-digit increase in cases, Dharmapuri, Perambalur and Ramanathapuram reported no new cases of Covid-19.
Hospitals have been reporting an increase in Covid-19 admissions across the Chennai region. “Poor adherence to masks and lack of social distancing are the reasons for the spike. If people come in early, we are still able to prevent complications and deaths,” said Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital dean Dr E Theranirajan.
On Tuesday, 1,07,186 people took the vaccine -- including 41,037 senior citizens and 32,533 people between 45 and 59 years of age and living with comorbid conditions. In addition, 12,817 healthcare workers and 20,799 frontline workers took the vaccine.