Puducherry reports 292 new Covid-19 cases, 11 fresh virus-related deaths

Puducherry on Monday reported

292 fresh COVID-19 cases and 11 related fatalities taking the death toll to 325.

The 11 people who succumbed included three women, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told a virtual press conference.

The new cases took the overall tally in the union territory to 17,316 (after transfer of eight cases to Tamil Nadu).

Rao said the 292 positive cases were identified at the end of examination of 1,073 samples.

He also said 503 patients were discharged during the last 24 hours from hospitals.

The Health Minister said of the total 17,316 COVID cases in the union territory, 4,856 cases were active while the total number of patients who have recovered and have been discharged so far stood at 12,135 and the total fatalities were 325.

Rao said that the fatality and recovery rates were 1. 88 per cent and 70.88 per cent respectively.

The Department of Health has tested so far 84,833 samples and found 65,657 out of them to be negative.

The Puducherry region accounted for 263 new cases out of the 292 reported today followed by 17 in Karaikal, 3 in Yanam and 9 in Mahe region.

The Minister said recruitment of doctors, staff nurses and ANMs had been expedited to ramp up manpower in hospitals on a war-footing and the additional manpower would be available in the next three days to take care of coronavirus patients in hospitals here.

He said the government was also getting 25 more ambulances.

The minister urged the people to cooperate with the government, particularly in its efforts to collect samples during door-to-door visits by the health team and also at camps at various places including marriage halls so that "we will be able to identify the affected.