PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry's test positivity rate shot up to 51.75 percent with 1,213 fresh Covid-19 cases reported out of 2344 samples tested during the last 24 hours ending 10 a.m. on Saturday. Though the Puducherry Health department has increased the number of samples to over 5000 daily, in view of the Pongal festival lesser number of samples were tested, but one in two samples were positive.
Among the new cases, 1100 are in the Puducherry region, 93 are in Karaikal, 17 in Mahe, and three in Yanam. Two covid infected persons have died of Covid in the Mahe region of the UT, Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr G Sriramulu said in a release.
The active cases have climbed to 6,785 of whom 123 patients were undergoing treatment in hospitals and the remaining 6662 patients were in home isolation. They are being treated in JIPMER and Government Hospital for Chest Diseases (GHCD) in the Puducherry region and government General hospitals in the outlying regions. He said 84 patients recovered and were discharged during the last twenty- four hours.
The department has administered so far 14,95,877 doses which comprised 9,05,903 first doses, 5,88,020 second, and 1954 booster doses.
The government has arranged Covid care facilities if people needed hospitalisation.
Meanwhile, people have preferred to observe Maattu Pongal and Thiruvalluvar day in a cautious way. Most people celebrated within their houses, while the Thiruvalluvar day was celebrated by paying floral tributes to Thiruvalluvar by political leaders and Tamil scholars. However, some people visited the temples and left after offering prayers. The bars and liquor shops and fish and meat shops were closed. However, vendors sold fish and meat on the pavement of the Municipal markets.