The state of Tamil Nadu has reported 5,958 fresh cases that were tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wednesday taking the state's total tally to 3,97,261 positive cases so far including active, recovered, and deceased patients. 

According to the official press release issued by the state health department, Tamil Nadu has tested 44,22,361 samples so far through RT-PCR including 75,500 that were tested on Wednesday of which 5,958 had returned positive for the viral infection. These 5,958  cases include the influx of 15 people who returned to the state from other regions. Of these 5,958 cases, 3,652 are males and the rest 2,306 are female patients. 

Tamil Nadu reports 5,958 new #COVID19 cases, 5,606 recoveries and 118 deaths, taking active cases to 52,362, recoveries to 3,38,060 and deaths to 6,839: State Health Department pic.twitter.com/oXc59AeEmX

— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2020

The press release stated that 18 districts had accounted for heavy caseloads in the current reporting. Chennai has reported 1,290 fresh cases, 484 cases belong to Coimbatore, 451 cases belong to Salem, 329 cases from Kancheepuram, 294 cases belong to Chengalpattu, 286 cases belong to Cuddalore, and 280 cases belong to Thiruvallur. 

Villupuram has reported 189 cases, Theni has reported 184 cases, 159 cases from Kanyakumari, 158 cases from Vellore, 156 cases belong to Tirunelveli, 143 cases belong to Pudukottai, 123 cases belong to Thanjavur, 121 cases from Ranipet, 105 cases each from Thiruvarur and Thoothukudi, and 102 cases from Erode. The state has reported 5,606 fresh discharges which had taken the total number of discharges to 3,38,060 so far. 

The state has reported 118 fresh deaths through which the death toll currently stands at 6,839 so far. According to the press release, of these 118 fresh deaths, 77 deaths were recorded at the government hospitals, and the rest are recorded at the private establishments. 

Of these 118 deaths, 20 deaths belong to Chennai, and ten belong to Coimbatore. Through the current reporting, the state has reported over a hundred deaths for the second consecutive day, and for the past 24 days including Wednesday, the state has recorded 2,707 deaths. 

According to the Union Health Ministry, Tamil Nadu is the second state in India with the most number of COVID-19 deaths after Maharashtra. The state's death toll stood at 4,034 on August 1 and it has added more 2,805 deaths in nearly four weeks with successive spikes of fatalities. With the current reporting of 1287 cases, Chennai has reported 1,29,247 cases so far of which 1,13,092 have been discharged and 2,638 had died of the global pandemic. 

As of Wednesday - August 26, Tamil Nadu has reported 3,97,261 cases so far of which 52,362 are active, 3,38,060 have been discharged, and 6,839 had succumbed to the viral infection.