Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu: Positivity rate spike a cause for concern

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu reported 273 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, including 98 cases in Chennai, taking the active cases tally in the state to 1,366. Key epidemic indicators including test positivity rate and hospitalisation numbers have been increasing with the spike in new cases.
Until Tuesday, less than 20 people were admitted to hospitals and none of them required oxygen or intensive care. On Wednesday, 69 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals including 19 requiring oxygen support and three in intensive care. On Thursday, the number of people admitted to hospitals rose to 76. The deaths reported in districts over the last two days were not added to the bulletin as they are being reviewed by the reconciliation committee, officials said.
The weekly average of test positivity rate - the number of people who tested positive out of every 100 people tested - touched 4.8 compared to 3.2 a week ago on March 30 and 2.1% a fortnight ago on March 23. The number of people undergoing RTPCR tests has increased from a weekly average of 3,100 to 3,600 on Thursday.
After Chennai, Chengalpet (28) reported the highest number of cases followed by Kanyakumari (24), Coimbatore (19), Salem (14) and Tiruvallur (12). While seven districts reported no new cases and 25 others reported between one and seven new cases. The daily test positivity rate is more than 8 in Chennai, Chengalpet and Kanyakumari and nearly 8 in Coimbatore.
Director of Public Health Dr T S Selva Vinayagam says it is important for the elderly and people with comorbid conditions to stay at home. It is advisable for people to wear masks in closed spaces, maintain social distance and wash hands, he said.