CHENNAI: While Chennai has continued to see encouraging results in its Covid fight, officials have been grappling with the surge in infections in the rest of northern TN. The number of cases continued to soar in Chennai’s neighbouring districts with Chengalpattu reporting 446 cases, Kancheepuram 393 and Tiruvallur 317. Tiruvannamalai, one of the districts badly affected by Covid, recorded 142 fresh Covid cases, pushing the district’s tally to 6,446.
In Tirupattur district, 70 cases were reported and the total tally stood at 1,324, including 540 active cases. So far, 19 have succumbed to the disease in the district, official sources said. Ranipet recorded 394 fresh cases and Vellore 139. A 53-year-old Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) attached to Armed Reserve (AR) is among the fresh cases in Vellore.
Villupuram crosses 4000-mark
Villupuram district saw 99 new cases on Sunday, taking the total number of cases beyond the 4,000 mark (4,022 cases, 3,007 discharged and 979 active). In Kallakurichi, 33 new cases were reported and the total count increased to 3,840. A 60-year-old Kallakurichi woman died at the GH in the district on Friday and she later tested positive. In Villupuram, a 64-year-old man died at the GH in Mudiyampakkam. Villupuram has had 36 deaths till now and Kallakurichi 26.
8 die without comorbidities
According to the media bulletin issued by the Directorate of Public Health, among the deaths revealed on Sunday, eight didn’t have comorbidities. A 38-year-old woman from Tirupathur died within two hours of being admitted in hospital. She was admitted at 12.20pm on July 29 in the Vellore Medical College Hospital and died at 2.20pm. The patient died due to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, alleged attempted suicidal hanging and Covid-positive status, the bulletin said.
In another instance, a 23-year-old man from Chennai with chronic kidney disease died within 40 minutes of hospitalisation. He was tested positive after death. The youth was admitted in the Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Government Estate on July 31 at 4.30pm. He died at 5.10pm due to chronic kidney disease, acute pulmonary oedema, cardiopulmonary arrest and Covid. He was tested positive on August 1, the bulletin added.
200 fresh cases in Pondy
The death toll due to Covid in Puducherry rose to 52 with one more death, as the UT saw its highest spike of 200 fresh cases on Sunday. Total cases have now risen to 3,806 and active cases to 1,445. Among the fresh cases, 161 cases are in Puducherry region, seven in Karaikal and 32 in Yanam.
A total of 242 infected persons are in home isolation in the UT. Quoting medical experts, CM V Narayanasamy has said that there could be 6,000 cases in the Union Territory by the end of this month. But only 600 to 700 among them would require hospitalisation, and the rest could be accommodated in care centres or advised in-home isolation, he said.