Puducherry, Aug 24 (PTI) Puducherry registered 73 new cases of COVID 19 during the last 24 hours ending 10 a.m. on Tuesday, raising the overall caseload to 1,23,007.The test positivity rate was 2.33 percent and the fresh cases were identified at the end of examination of 3,131 samples. The new cases were spread over Puducherry 30, Karaikal 19, Yanam 3 and Mahe 21.Director of Health and Family Welfare Services G Sriramulu noted that the active cases were 765 of whom 162 were in hospitals and the remaining 603 patients were in home isolation.Sriramulu said 103 patients recovered and were discharged during last twenty-four hours while the overall recoveries stood at 1,20,433.The Director said one more person hailing from Tirunallar in Karaikal succumbed to infection raising the toll to 1809.The fatality and recovery rates were 1.47 percent and 97.91 percent respectively.Sriramulu said the Department of Health has tested 16.16 lakh samples so far and has found 13.72 out of them to be negative.The Department has inoculated 38,085 health care workers and 22,999 front line workers against pandemic. The Director said that 5.57 lakh people coming under the category of either senior citizens or those above 45 years with co morbidities have been vaccinated so far in the Union Territory.In all 7.85 lakh people including those who received the second jab have been vaccinated. PTI COR ROH ROH