Tamil Nadu has reported 938 fresh cases that were tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Saturday through which the state has crossed the tally of 21,000 by reporting 21,184 cases so far in its territory including active, discharged, and deceased patients. 

The current reporting of 938 cases has become the highest single-day rise recorded by the state since the outbreak began surpassing the previous tally of 874 cases that were reported on Friday and the sharpest spikes in the cases have been alarming the government to grip up the containment strategies as the state prepares for another phase of the lockdown.

The official press release issued by the state health department stated that Tamil Nadu has tested 4,79,155 samples so far including 12,605 that were tested on Saturday of which 938 had returned positive for the virus. These 938 cases include 82 people who returned to the state from other regions (46 came from Maharashtra, 12 came from West Bengal, seven from Gujarat, three from Kuwait, three each from Karnataka and Delhi, two each from Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, and one each from Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh).

Of these 938 cases, 599 are males, 338 are females, and the rest one is a transgender and 616 belong to Chennai, 94 belong to Chengalpattu, 37 belong to Salem, 28 belong to Thiruvallur, 22 belong to Kancheepuram, 17 belong to Thoothukudi, 13 belong to Ramanathapuram, ten belong to Madurai, nine belong to Thiruvannamalai, seven belong to Tirunelveli.

Five each from Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Trichy, four each from Thiruvarur and Kanyakumari, two each from Kallakurichi, Thanjavur, and Villupuram, and one each from Karur, Krishnagiri, Perambalur, Sivagangai, Tenkasi, Theni, Thirupathur, and Virudhunagar. Apart from the district wise abstract, eight people are kept under airport quarantine and 40 are under railway quarantine on Saturday.

The state has reported 687 fresh discharges through which the total number discharges currently stands at 12,000 and the total discharge count is more than the COVID-19 active cases in the state. The state has also recorded six fatalities taking the death toll to 160. According to the press release, all these six deceased belong to Chennai and four deceased were identified to had co-morbid conditions.

Amid the restrictions, Chennai has been witnessing soaring cases and with the current reporting of 616 cases, the city has recorded 13,980 cases so far with the contribution of over 70% in the total cases reported in the state. As of Saturday evening, the state has reported 21,184 positive cases so far -second highest in India after Maharashtra of which 9,021 are active - including isolation, 12,000 have been discharged, and 160 had succumbed to the virus.

On Saturday, the medical experts' committee has advised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami not to provide any relaxations to Chennai, Chengalpattu, Thiruvallur, and Kancheepuram as these four districts account for 70% of the total cases reported in the state. Tamil Nadu would be ending the fourth phase of the lockdown and May month with the highest rises in the cases since the outbreak amid the restrictions to flatten the curve of COVID-19 affected cases.

To read the press release, visit: https://stopcorona.tn.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Media-Bulletin-30.05.2020.pdf

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