JOIN US8 more test positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu; state tally at 26
Tamil Nadu continued to report spike in the number of positive patients for the second consecutive day with eight persons testing positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking the tally to 26, even as a 54-year-old patient with comorbid conditions passed away.
The tally of 26 includes the dead and the first patient who was discharged on March 17.
This was the first death in the state due to Coronavirus and the patient, who contracted the virus through his contact with two Thai nationals who are quarantined at a government hospital in Erode district, was buried with just a couple of family members attending the last rites ceremony.
Wednesday saw the biggest spike in the number ever since the outbreak began in March with eight people testing positive in a single day. The state reported five positive cases on Tuesday. Four Indonesian nationals, their tourist guide, 18-year-old contact of the 2nd patient who arrived here by train from Delhi, 66-year-old contact of the Thai nationals and 63-year-old Dubai returnee tested positive.
The patients are admitted to Salem Government College Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, Government Hospital in Walajah in Ranipet district and the Government Medical Hospital in Perundurai.
There was some good news as well with Health Minister C Vijayabaskar announcing that the 2nd patient is “Corona negative” as two subsequent tests conducted on him for Covid-19 rendered negative. “He will be discharged in two days,” Vijayabhaskar tweeted.
The 54-year-old man, who was admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Saturday night and tested positive on Monday, had comorbid conditions like “uncontrollable diabetes and hypertension” and COPD.
Despite all efforts, the patient breathed his last at around 1.30 am on Wednesday at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, 460 km from here. "Despite our best efforts, the #COVID19 +ve Pt at MDU, Rajaji Hospital, passed away few minutes back. He had medical history of prolonged illness with steroid dependent COPD, uncontrolled diabetes with hypertension," Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar tweeted at 2.02 am.
Within hours of the death, the last rites of the patient was completed before the break of the dawn after the body was handed over to the kin. A top district official told DH that the man was buried according to the standard operation procedure (SOP) laid out by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“The last rites were completed with very few family members and a representative from the local Jamath. Everything was completed according to the procedure,” the official said.
The state has so far placed 15,492 passengers under home quarantine for 28 days and 43 asymptomatic passengers from highly affected countries are being quarantined in quarantine facilities near airport and 211 are under hospital isolation.
“Till now 890 samples have been taken from the passengers. The samples of 780 passengers are processed of which 757 samples are negative, 23 samples are positive for COVID-19 infection and 110 samples are under process,” an update from the Health Department said.