CHENNAI: After a gap of five months, the state reported a Covid-19 death on Thursday. A 55-year-old woman with comorbidities died at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).
The deceased had Type-2 diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. She was admitted to a private hospital on December 24 with breathing difficulty and was referred to RGGGH on December 27. The patient died due to Covid-19 pneumonia and acute pulmonary edema, stated a media bulletin. The last Covid-19 death in the state was on July 6, 2023.
According to the bulletin, 23 positive cases were reported on Thursday, of which 16 were in Chennai, three in Coimbatore, and one each in Nilgiris, Ranipet, Salem and Vellore. The number of active cases reached 158. As many as 426 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) stood at 5.3%. Additionally, 24 people were discharged after treatment.
After a slight increase in positive cases, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine had instructed all deputy directors of health services to advise immuno-compromised patients and pregnant women to wear face masks in public places and also to test all symptomatic cases.