Tamil Nadu and Chennai recorded its highest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases and reported 121 cases on Tuesday. Of this, Chennai reported 103 new COVID-19 cases. The state also said that a five-day-old female baby from Chengalpattu district had contracted the infection. The last time the state reported over 100 COVID-19 cases was on April 19 when 105 new cases emerged. The spike in numbers is also because the state is testing more people. While 6,850 persons were tested on Tuesday, 93,189 have been tested in the state so far.
Eight cases have been reported in children below the age of 10 on Tuesday and this includes the five-day-old female baby from Chengalpattu and a seven-month-old male baby from Chennai.
With this, the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 2058. Other than from Chennai. twelve cases from Chengalpattu, three from Kallakurichi, one from Kancheepuram and two from Namakkal were reported on Tuesday.
The state reported its 25th COVID-19 death - a 68-year-old man from Chennai who was admitted in a private hospital died due to COVID-19 infection - on April 28.
Tamil Nadu recorded a low number of recoveries on Tuesday, with 27 patients being discharged from hospitals. The total number of recoveries in the state is 1128 while its active cases stands at 902.
Erode became the first district to be COVID-19 free in Tamil Nadu after the last four of its 70 patients were discharged on Tuesday.
Chennai district presently has 673 patients which is 32.07% of the state’s total COVID-19 cases. The source of infection of 39 cases reported on Tuesday are currently being investigated. This includes 18 primary cases. An 8-year-old male child has been reported as a primary source of infection.
Three municipal corporations in the state -- Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore are under complete lockdown since April 26, ending on Wednesday night 9.00 pm. Just a day before this came into effect, on April 25, these cities witnessed the biggest rush in supermarkets and in vegetable shops, with people panic buying essentials and flouting all social distancing norms.