Pondicherry posts 1,138 new coronavirus cases, tally touches 63,298

Covid cases have surged across the country in recent weeks

Puducherry added 1,138 fresh cases to its COVID-19 tally in the last 24 hours ending 10 am on Tuesday, raising the total caseload to 63,298.

Seventeen more deaths were recorded taking the toll to 865.

The 1,138 new cases were identified at the end of examination of 6820 samples projecting a test positivity rate of 16.68 percent, Director of the Department of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said

As many as 51,584 patients recovered and were discharged so far.

He said 8.18 lakh samples were examined so far and of them 7.47 lakh turned out to be negative.

The fatality and recovery rates were 1.37 percent and 81.49 percent respectively.

The Director said Puducherry region alone accounted for 760 new cases out of the new positives of 1138.

Karaikal reported 142, while Yanam and Mahe regions reported 172 and 64 new cases of infection.

Meanwhile, 32,459 health care workers and 19,042 front line workers have been inoculated against the scourge so far in the Union Territory.

The health official said 1,52,744 people belonging either to the category of senior citizens (those above sixty years) or those above 45 years with co-morbidity have been vaccinated since March 1.

The deceased were in the age group ranging between 45 and 85 years.

While seven of them had no co-morbidities, the remaining had complaints of diabetes and respiratory problem.

Director of Centrally administered JIPMER Rakkesh Agarwal in a release said there was a 'rapid increase' in the last five weeks in number of Covid 19 stricken patients requiring intensive hospital care and high flow oxygen in JIPMER.

The institute is focussing its services for seriously ill and actually sick patients.

The Director said the institute has expanded the bed strength for Covid patients from 229 beds to nearly 400 beds recently.

To meet the surge in demand for beds the institute has initiated steps to redesignate 75 more beds for Covid patient service.

The Director also said that doctors from various specialities have been redesignated to cater for covid patients.

"The rise in number of patients requiring critical care for the Covid has been such that all additional facilities the institute have created got saturated as soon as they are created," the Director said.