80-yr-old woman dies of COVID-19 in Puducherry; 72 cases takes tally to 1,272

An 80-year-old woman succumbed to COVID-19 in the Union Territory and 72 cases were reported, taking the toll to 17 and the infection tally to 1,272 on Friday, health minister Malladi Krishna Rao said. The woman died at the government general hospital in Karaikal, he told reporters here.

Among the new cases, 67 were reported from Puducherry and five from Karaikal (an enclave of the union territory in Tamil Nadu) in the last 24 hours, ended at 10 AM, he said. A total of 970 samples were tested, the highest so far, of which 72 tested positive, taking the total number of cases to 1,272.

Active cases stood at 618, while 637 patients were treated and discharged, he said. A total of 23,515 samples have been tested so far, of which 21,982 samples were negative. Results of the other samples were awaited. The minister said the government was strengthening the infrastructure at the hospitals to meet any exigency.

"We will expedite process of procuring the equipment, including ventilators for the hospitals before July 20", he said.

Rao said he would meet Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and suggest implementing total lockdown on Sundays to contain the spread of the virus and appealed to people to adhere to safety norms.