Coronavirus cases continue to surge in Tamil Nadu; tally crosses 23,000

For the second consecutive day, Tamil Nadu reported over 1,000 cases on Monday with 1,162 persons, including 50 who returned from other states, testing positive for coronavirus as the state’s tally crossed the 23,000-mark.

There is no respite at all for the state capital as it reported its highest-ever single day spike by registering 972 COVID-19 cases on Monday alone. Chennai now has 15,770 cases, including 8,181 discharges and 138 deaths.

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The majority of the 15,770 cases are from six zones that house some of the densely populated areas in the city with experts batting for focussed testing of symptomatic persons and vulnerable sections like the elderly. The state had on Sunday reported 1,149 cases.

As on Monday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu stood at 23,495 that includes 13,170 discharges and 184 deaths – 11 of which were reported on Monday. The Health Department said all deceased, including a 31-year-old woman, had co-morbidities that led to their death.

Over 18,000 of the 23,000-odd cases belong to Chennai and its three neighbouring districts of Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu making them the biggest hotspot in the state. Even as the number of persons testing positive witnesses an exponential increase every passing day, the testing numbers were reduced on Monday – the state tested 11,377 samples which is 1,430 samples less than Sunday’s 12,807.

The testing numbers were reduced despite an expert committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government suggested that the testing be ramped up immediately, at least in Chennai. P Kuganantham, former Chennai City Health Officer and member of the expert committee, told DH that the number of tests should be increased immediately to contain the spread of the virus.

“Focussed testing is the need of the hour and we want the government to test symptomatic patients and those vulnerable to the virus first. They can start this from containment zones. Increasing the number of tests is absolutely necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus. There is no need to panic over the numbers,” he said.

Data released by the government says May has been the worst month for the state with 145 of the 173 deaths being reported in the 31-day period. Also, the month saw the state moving from a mere 2,526 positive cases on May 1 to 22,333 cases on the last day of the month.