Chennai: Number of positive cases of Coronavirus in Tamil Nadu witnessed a significant increase on Tuesday as 57 new Covid-19 patients were identified in the state, taking the total count to 124 so far. According to reports, out of the 57 infected people, 45 have travel history to Delhi.

Reports of doubling of Coronavirus positive cases in the state include those who attended the Islamic congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and even a doctor.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister C.Vijayabaskar on Tuesday said the new patients have been admitted into hospitals in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Chennai and Namakkal.

Meanwhile, the state officials were busy tracing other persons who had attended the event at Tablighi Jamaat's international headquarters Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, pointing out that around 1,500 persons from the southern state had gone there.

They also brought Erode district under strict monitoring as several persons from there have tested positive for coronavirus, news agency IANS reported. The spike in corona positive cases was due to the fact that those affected had mingled with others and passed on the infection.

Some Thai and Indonesian nationals had also attended the conference and then visited Tamil Nadu. Two of these Thai nationals, who tested positive, have been admitted to hospital here. The 54-year-old patient in Madurai who became the state's first Covid-19 fatality last week was in contact with these two Thai nationals.

Health Department officials are screening persons who have returned after attending the conference. "We have covered more than 500 persons who had attended the Delhi event. The exact number is yet to be known," an official told IANS.

According to him, a sizeable number of persons who had attended the conference are from Erode and Coimbatore. Other places from where Muslims had attended the event include Sivaganga, Thanjavur, Nagercoil, and Kanyakumari.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu government is taking steps to tackle increased admissions of COVID-19 patients by augmenting bed capacity in hospitals and ordering masks, ventilators and other items.

Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday announced extension in service on temporary contract basis for doctors, nurses and lab technicians set to retire on March-end. The government has also placed orders to procure 1.1 crore masks, 25 lakh N-95 masks, 2,500 ventilators, 30,000 test kits and other medical items.