While the number of new patients diagnosed with Covid-19 on Friday came down to 483 in Tamil Nadu, neighbouring Kerala is being literally battered because of the pandemic. Kerala, which had been declared as a State free of Covid-19 as on May 8, 2020, diagnosed 5,397 new patients with the pandemic on Friday with a Test Positivity Rate of 7.25.
The number of fatalities registered in Tamil Nadu during the last 24 hours stood at six while 18 persons lost their lives in Kerala due to Coviod-19. According to a release issued by the office of Kerala’s Health Minister, death toll is likely to be high as the Government was expecting some more results from National Virology Institute at Alappuzha.
While Tamil Nadu’s death toll reached 12,408 mark by Friday evening, Kerala registered 3,954 deaths till Friday. Tamil Nadu has 4,285 Covid-19 patients across the State as on Friday while Kerala, which had claimed itself to be the global leader in Covid-19 management had 63,691 patients suffering from the pandemic, said the release from the health minister’s office. There are 2.41 lakh persons in Kerala who are under observation.
A release issued by Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Health said that 142 new patients were diagnosed on Friday with Covid-19 while neighbouring Chengalpattu registered 45 new cases. Many districts recorded zero cases of the pandemic on Friday.
While this is being seen as a big achievement by the Tamil Nadu Government, medical fraternity preferred caution. “It can never be due to vaccination as the vaccines are yet to reach the population,” said Dr C V Krishnaswamy, veteran physician who has been tracking the pattern of the Covid-19 since it was reported first in India.
“The opening of Jayalalithaa memorial at Marina Beach was attended by hundreds of thousands according to the State government’s own admission, There was no social distancing or face masks . All protocols were thrown to the winds. One has to wait for weeks before issuing a thumps-up sign to the Government. I for one do not believe it is the act of the Government. If the numbers are down as of now, one should thank God Almighty,” said Dr Krishnaswamy.
