Tamil Nadu's positivity rate falls even as India tally nears 54,000

The total number of COVID-19 cases in India neared 54,000 on Thursday (May 7) with more people testing positive for the deadly infection.

However, the good news that emerged from states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, in the spate of negative streaks, is that the number of those having recovered crossed 15,000.

Meanwhile, AIIMS-Delhi director Randeep Guleria said on Thursday that the COVID-19 is likely to peak June-July in the country.

In Maharashtra, 1,362 new cases were reported, taking the state’s tally to 18,120, according to state health minister Rajesh Tope.

In Mumbai, 72 inmates and seven staffers at Arthur Road Prison tested positive for the infection on Thursday. Jail authorities said all infected inmates will be shifted to GT Hospital and St George Hospital in guarded vehicles on Friday morning, while the infected staff members will be shifted separately.

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In Gujarat, 388 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the state’s tally to 7,013, including 1,709 recoveries and 425 deaths, according to the state health department.

In Tamil Nadu, 580 fresh cases were detected, but in a significant improvement, its positivity rate declined to 2.6 per cent out of the over 14,000 samples tested on Thursday. While Chennai reported 316 new cases, Tiruvallur reported 63 in the last 24 hours. Two new deaths were also reported and 31 recovered patients were discharged on Thursday.

In Madhya Pradesh, 114 more persons tested positive for the deadly infection on Thursday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 3,252. The death toll now stands at 193 in the state.

Meanwhile, India began its repatriation mission on Thursday to bring home its citizens who are stranded abroad. Two flights left the UAE this evening as part of the ‘Vande Bharat’ mission, which aims to transport nearly 15,000 stranded citizens over the next week. Passengers will be quarantined for 14 days once they arrive in India. Of them, the first flight landed at the Kochi airport on Thursday night with 177 passengers on board.