CHENNAI: After a gap of eight months, Tamil Nadu reported over 6,000 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday. The State reported 6,618 cases, compared to 5,989 cases on Saturday, taking the tally to 9,33,434 while the toll has risen to 12,908 with 22 more deaths being reported.
With the State testing 88,538 samples and 87,767 people, Tamil Nadu had a test positivity rate of 7.4 percent while Chennai's test positivity rate, as of Saturday, was 13.8 percent. After 2,314 people were discharged on Sunday, Tamil Nadu had 41,955 active cases.
A whopping 49 per cent of Sunday's cases came from Chennai and it's neighbouring districts. While Chennai reported 2,124 cases, its neighbours Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur reported 631, 206 and 296 cases respectively.
Cases in other districts are also increasing, Coimbatore reported 617 cases, Erode -119, Madurai - 173, Nagapattinam - 159, Salem - 128, Thanjavur - 178, Tiruvarur - 100, Thoothukudi - 149, Tirunelveli - 144, Tiruppur - 177 and Trichy - 154. Perambalur was the lone district to report less than 10 new cases on the day.
Among the people who tested positive on the day were 35 passengers, five of whom travelled by air while the rest reached the State by road.
According to the Media bulletin issued by the Directorate of Public Health, among the deceased two did not have any comorbid conditions. Of the 22 deaths reported on the day, as many as six people died in about a day of being admitted to a hospital.
According to data from the Health Department, 47,205 people were vaccinated on Sunday out of which 15,726 people were above 60 years of age, 29,308 were between 45 to 59 years of age, 1,377 were frontline workers and 794 were healthcare workers.
Till date, Tamil Nadu has vaccinated 37,80,070 people. The State also also initiated vaccination drives in work places. Director of Public Health T S Selvavinayagam said the workplace vaccination drive will be intensified in coming days.
The State will conduct tika utsav or vaccine festival from April 14 to 16, a press release from the government had said.