Pondy records highest surge of 112 COVID-19 cases

Puducherry, Jul 8 () Puducherry registered its highest ever single day spurt of 112 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the aggregate number of those infected in the Union Territory to 1,151.

Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said a total of 112 new cases were registered in Puducherry, Karaikal and Yanam regions during the last 24 hours ending 10 am. today, while Mahe continued to have seven cases taking the total infections to 1,151.

While 79 new cases were reported in Puducherry region, Karaikal had 25 and Yanam had eight cases.

After transferring two cases from Yanam to Andhra Pradesh, the total fresh cases came to 112 while cumulative number of patients stood at 1,151.

Active cases were 553 (493 in Puducherry, 33 in Karaikal, 20 in Yanam and 7 in Mahe), while 584 patients were treated and discharged.

Fatalities continued to remain 14 as no death was reported during the last few days.

Expressing concern over fresh cases crossing 100 mark, the Minister said the government should declare total lockdown on Sundays so that the spread of the infection could be controlled.

"We can have total lockdown on Sundays. I hope Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will make an appropriate announcement on total lockdown sooner than later.

Traders and Merchants associations have also expressed cooperation to have the lockdown at a meeting recently," Rao said.

He also wanted the people to cooperate and follow safety norms so that there would be no room for the virus to gain grounds.

Sixty-five patients were discharged during last twenty four hours.

The number of active cases in Puducherry were 493, while Karaikal had 33, Yanam 20 and Mahe 7.

Rao said mobile units to collect samples from people in rural areas were already pressed into service.

"To ensure that the swabs were collected at the doorsteps of the people in villages mobile teams were in operation and one more ambulance would be pressed into service in a couple of days," he said.

He said three of the 8 new cases admitted to the government hospital in Yanam, an enclave in Andhra Pradesh and home constituency of Health Minister, were workers belonging to the region and were working in a plant in Hyderabad. COR ROH ROH