8 die, 4 Vande Bharat Mission returnees test positive in TN

Chennai, May 12 () Eight people with co-morbidconditions died of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu and as many as 716fresh coronavirus cases were reported, pushing the tally to8,718 in the state, authorities said on Tuesday.

Days after the Centre's 'Vande Bharat Mission' kicked inbringing stranded Indians from abroad, four among those whoreturned tested positive.

"Four passengers who returned from other countriesreported positive today," a health department bulletin saidand added that they have been housed in a quarantine facilityhere.

The country of their origin was, however, not knownimmediately.

Among the returnees to Tamil Nadu were 180 people fromMalaysia today and 171 from Kuwait on Sunday.

Tonight 183 more people are expected to arrive fromMuscat.

The returnees have been accommodated here in hotels andthe premises of an educational institution after screening.

Totally, 927 people arrived here and at Tiruchirappalliairports between May 9 and today and all of them werescreened.

While samples of 186 were under testing process, as manyas 737 tested negative and four were positive.

When two people who returned from Abu Dhabi and Dubaitested positive in Kerala on Saturday, hours after the Statedeclared that it has flattened the coronavirus curve, ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan had said the new cases were "awarning to those coming back from abroad and for other statesto be on the alert".

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratorydistress syndrome and diabetes mellitus were among the co-morbidities the four men and four women who died had, thebulletin said.

A total of 716 people tested positive, of whom 427 weremen and 288 women and the aggregate number of cases stood at8,718 in Tamil Nadu.

All the four men who died were aged between 63 and 75years of age, while the women who succumbed to COVID-19 wereaged between 43 and 58 years.

They died between Sunday and today in government medicalcollege hospitals here.

Chennai accounted for 510 of the 700 plus new cases onTuesday and 4,882 have so far been infected in the Statecapital alone.

Of this number, 749 were discharged, 39 died and 4,093are active cases.

Till date 2,134 people have been discharged and onTuesday alone 83 people were sent home after they recoveredfrom the illness, the bulletin said.