TN health dept rules out COVID outbreak, says recent Andhra deaths not linked to more virulent variant

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department on Monday sought to dispel fears of a fresh COVID-19 wave, asserting that there was no evidence of a more virulent coronavirus variant or an outbreak in the State, even as recent deaths reported in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh sparked public concern.

In a statement, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said that TN continued to monitor COVID-19 through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and that surveillance had not indicated any unusual rise in infections or severe disease.

Clarifying the Andhra Pradesh cases, the department said, “A 52-year-old man from Andhra, who was shifted from a private hospital in Tirupati to a private hospital in Vellore on June 26, had COVID-19 – severe Klebsiella pneumoniae bacterial infection, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. He died on June 28 after developing acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by the bacterial infection.”

A 68-year-old patient treated at a private hospital in Vellore had advanced colon cancer and succumbed to respiratory failure associated with the malignancy. COVID-19 was detected only as an incidental finding and was not the cause of death. The department also noted that a 46-year-old man from Kadapa died while undergoing treatment for COVID-19, with Andhra Pradesh health authorities continuing to examine the clinical details.

The department said that COVID-19 testing remains part of routine pre-operative screening and is conducted for patients with severe respiratory illness when clinically indicated. Under this surveillance, TN had recorded 990 cases in 2024, around 1,250 in 2025 and 335 so far in 2026, taking the total to 2,575. “These cases were identified through routine surveillance and are not indicative of an outbreak,” the department said.

It added that Whole Genome Sequencing by the National Institute of Virology, Pune, showed the circulating variant causes mild illness with low community transmission. “There is no evidence of a highly virulent COVID-19 variant in Tamil Nadu,” it said. “The public must not panic or believe rumours but continue to follow basic public health precautions.”