CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 5,849 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day figure yet, while the toll reached 3,144 as the State Health Department recorded 444 deaths in Chennai based on the report of a reconciliation committee.
The state also reported 74 deaths on the day. With this Chennai's mortality rises to 2.1 per cent while the State’s mortality rate stands at 1.6 per cent. Tamil Nadu’s COVID tally is now 1,86,492. Elaborating on the reconciliation process, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said that deaths at close to 102 government hospitals and at burial grounds in Chennai were studied as per ICMR guidelines and accounted for in the state’s official death toll.
“Two suicide deaths and also deaths that occurred before COVID tests were taken have also been categorised as COVID deaths,” he said. As per ICMR guidelines, all deaths of COVID patients are counted irrespective of underlying or antecedent causes.
“It is not just Tamil Nadu which has seen such a problem, mismatch in death records have also been reported from Maharastra and Delhi," he pointed out. The state’s media bulletin explained that details of the deaths of COVID positive persons under the Greater Chennai Corporation were collected from March 1. The data was compiled by Directorate of Medical Education for Medical College Institutions and Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services for their own institutions and private hospitals.
"The Committee has recommended that an additional 444 deaths would also fall under the category of virus casualties... though such cases were medically considered as deaths due to co-morbidity or other terminal illness," the bulletin said.
The state had formed a committee to reconcile a mismatch in COVID death figures by comparing details of deaths from institutions and data obtained from Corporation burial grounds.
20 lakh people tested
The new single-day spike in cases came as the State tested a whopping 58,475 people and 60,112 samples. As many as 20,15,147 people have now been tested in TN. On the day, 4,910 people were discharged from hospitals after the treatment.
The number of cases reported from Chennai remains stable with 1,171 cases being added to the tally. However, the number of cases in other districts continues to rise. Chennai's neighbouring districts of Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur reported 223, 325 and 430 cases respectively.
Plasma bank inaugurated
Health Minister C Vijayabaskar inaugurated a plasma bank set up at a cost of Rs 2.34 crore at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Wednesday. Later speaking to reporters, the minister said that plasma therapy had been successful in Tamil Nadu. The plasma trial approved by the ICMR has been completed successfully, he said.
“People who complete 14 days after testing negative for the virus and who don’t have comorbidities can donate plasma,” the minister said.