City records highest 1-day spike with 399 cases

Of the total figure, 1,589 positive patients were linked to Koyambedu Market cluster as on Friday. Officials from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine claimed that almost all contacts linked to the Koyambedu market cluster have been traced and tested.

“None among the new positive cases reported on Friday are primary cases. The contacts of the existing COVID cases in all clusters are being traced,” an official said.

Among other districts, Tiruvallur recorded 75 cases, Cuddalore 34, Chengalpattu 26 and Villupuram 21. While Tiruvannamalai recorded 11 cases, Kancheepuram and Kanniyakumari recorded eight cases each. New cases were also reported in Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Krishnagiri, Madurai and Dharmapuri besides Theni and Ramnad.

The highest number of deaths in a single day was reported in TN as three patients succumbed in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 40 deaths in the State.

A 78-year-old-male patient with comorbidities from Tambaram died on Thursday night at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital while a 56-year-old-male from Chennai admitted to RGGGH on Wednesday died at 11.50 pm. The first death in Tirunelveli was recorded after an 83-year-old male with comorbidities admitted to Tirunelveli Medical College and Hospital died at 2.30 am on Thursday. At least 56 patients were discharged following treatment, and about 4,361 cases are currently active in the State.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said there is a need to increase sampling and testing of SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Illness) and Influenza Like Illness (ILI) cases in states like TN. This, he said, should be done with proper quarantine arrangements of migrants returning from other states. He was interacting with Health Ministers of TN, Karnataka and Telangana in a video conference where he reviewed the preparedness, efforts and containment measures regarding COVID-19.