Daily spike in Covid-19 cases peaks to 1,257 in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The district recorded its highest-ever single-day spike in Covid-19 cases on Saturday, when 1,257 people were declared positive for the virus, even as the tally increased to 79,669, just 331 short of another milestone of 80,000-mark. The daily test positivity rate also shot up to 12.2%, with 1,257 of the 10,224 samples testing positive. The number of active Covid cases in the district too touched an all-time high of 7,288, with only 913 patients getting discharged from treatment centres on the day. The recovery rate in the district, where 71,658 of the infected have survived the virus attack, stands at 89.9%.Officially, the Covid-19 toll in the district rose to 723 with a 63-year-old woman, who was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on April 25, succumbing to the virus. She didn’t have any comorbidities and died of acute respiratory distress syndrome and bilateral bronchopneumonia on Thursday (April 29). However, officials said close to 20 patients had succumbed to the virus on Thursday in the district. According to a source, at least two thirds of the victims were residents of the district, while the remaining were the patients who had come for treatment from other districts. The government hasn’t added them in the health bulletin so far. An official said some of the victims were brought to the CMCH after meeting with accidents or attempting suicides and declared brought dead. “They were found to be positive for the virus during postmortem. Hence, they were not included in the list.”