Weddings, funerals emerge as new Covid clusters

CHENNAI: New cases of Covid-19 are fewer now, but the drop is not as rapid as the state health department wants it to be. On Monday, new Covid-19 cases in the state dropped to 1,112, compared to 1,127 cases reported on Sunday.
At least 13 districts, including Coimbatore, showed marginal increase in their case tally. Chennai (144) and Coimbatore (130) continued to report cases in three digits. Officials say new clusters - particularly from get-togethers, weddings and funerals - reported from several districts have kept new cases hovering between 1,000 and 1,300 for nearly three weeks now.
On July 19, the fresh cases dropped below 2,000 in Tamil Nadu from more than 36,000 cases a day it reported in May. On Monday, at least 24 districts in the state reported fewer than 20 cases each and among them 11 districts reported cases in single digits. But over the past eight to 10 weeks, the fall rate has been painfully sluggish, say health officials. Fourteen deaths reported on Monday pushed the cumulative toll to 36,033. At the end of the day, 1,341 people were discharged leaving the state with 12,791 active cases of Covid-19.
Although there are no healthcare emergencies, an average of 15-20 deaths are reported every day. "We have more than one reason to worry now," said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. With the festive season around and relaxations in lockdown, more and more people are moving out of their homes. Vaccination coverage is still inadequate - nearly 30% of the population has not taken the first dose - and many people are not wearing masks or following social distancing.
"In addition, we now have to worry about the variant under investigation allegedly responsible for the recent rapid spread in the UK. This variant has been identified in Indore and is reported in 1% of cases in Maharashtra," he said. While the state is not asking people to continue staying indoors, following standard operating protocols is extremely important, he said.
The vaccination coverage in the state is below the national average. The public health department has asked all district health officials to make a line list of people who are yet to take the first dose or are due for the second dose.
Chennai: New cases of Covid-19 are fewer now, but the drop is not as rapid as the state health department wants it to be. On Monday, new Covid-19 cases in the state dropped to 1,112, compared to 1,127 cases reported on Sunday.
At least 13 districts, including Coimbatore, showed marginal increase in their case tally. Chennai (144) and Coimbatore (130) continued to report cases in three digits. Officials say new clusters - particularly from get-togethers, weddings and funerals - reported from several districts have kept new cases hovering between 1,000 and 1,300 for nearly three weeks now.
On July 19, the fresh cases dropped below 2,000 in Tamil Nadu from more than 36,000 cases a day it reported in May. On Monday, at least 24 districts in the state reported fewer than 20 cases each and among them 11 districts reported cases in single digits. But over the past eight to 10 weeks, the fall rate has been painfully sluggish, say health officials. Fourteen deaths reported on Monday pushed the cumulative toll to 36,033. At the end of the day, 1,341 people were discharged leaving the state with 12,791 active cases of Covid-19.
Although there are no healthcare emergencies, an average of 15-20 deaths are reported every day. "We have more than one reason to worry now," said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. With the festive season around and relaxations in lockdown, more and more people are moving out of their homes. Vaccination coverage is still inadequate - nearly 30% of the population has not taken the first dose - and many people are not wearing masks or following social distancing.
"In addition, we now have to worry about the variant under investigation allegedly responsible for the recent rapid spread in the UK. This variant has been identified in Indore and is reported in 1% of cases in Maharashtra," he said. While the state is not asking people to continue staying indoors, following standard operating protocols is extremely important, he said.
The vaccination coverage in the state is below the national average. The public health department has asked all district health officials to make a line list of people who are yet to take the first dose or are due for the second dose.