Chennai:
Tamil Nadu reported 1,904 new COVID-19 cases, including three returnees from Andhra Pradesh, taking the tally to 25.39 lakh, while 30 more deaths took the toll to 33,782.
Recoveries continued to outnumber new infections with 2,439 people getting discharged, pushing the cumulative to 24,78,778, leaving 26,717 active cases, a health department bulletin said.
As many as 30 districts reported new infections in double digits, while there were no fresh deaths in 22 districts.
Chennai added 141 new infections, taking the total count to 5,36,493, while three deaths in the state capital took the toll to 8,302, the bulletin said.
Among districts, Coimbatore reported the maximum of 204 cases and Ramanathapuram the least, with nine.
A total of 1,33,962 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 3,58,26,918.
Among the decased, four did not have any co morbidities.
Two private labs in Chennai were recently approved by the department for COVID-19 testing, taking the overall facilities operating in the state to 278, the bulletin said.
Earlier in the day,Minister for medical and family welfare Ma Subramanian said in Coimbatore that the government planned to launch a free vaccination drive through private hospitals by utilising CSR funds provided by private companies.
He told reporters in Coimbatore that talks were held in this regard with 117 private hospitals in the city, Tirupur, Erode and Salem.
The scheme would be launched initially in Coimbatore and laterexpanded to other parts of the state, he said.
