Chandigarh Covid count goes past 400 with highest single-day spike during Unlock

As many as 24 people found infected, 14 of whom are from Mauli Jagran locality

With 24 fresh cases of Covid-19 surfacing, in the highest single-day spike since easing of lockdown restrictions on June 1, Chandigarh crossed the 400 mark on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 count of the tricity, which includes neighbouring districts of Panchkula and Mohali as well, has crossed 700 mark.

It was on May 24 that the highest number of cases (29) were recorded in a single day. Now, the total number of cases stand at 404, of which 82 remain active. The city has witnessed six deaths linked to the infection so far.

Fourteen of the fresh cases in Chandigarh have been reported from Mauli Jagran, raising concerns of an outbreak as seen earlier in Bapu Dham Colony.

All patients in Mauli Jagran are contacts of a 65-year-old woman from Mirpur village in Mubarakpur, Dera Bassi, who had visited her daughter’s house in the Chandigarh locality.

Officials said the woman had complained of fever and abdominal discomfort and visited the Panchkula civil hospital on June 12 and returned home the same day. After four days, she visited Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, for treatment, and tested positive for Covid-19 on June 19. The woman has 19 family and two community contacts. Earlier, her case was added to the Chandigarh tally, but now it has been removed as she belongs to Mohali district.

Among her contacts found infected, 12 are family members. These include four males, two aged 9 and others 18 and 40, and eight females, two aged 32, and others 5, 7, 9, 12, 30 and 40. The remaining two are community contacts: men, aged 24 and 35.

Prior to these cases, the locality had reported only one infection.

Area councillor Anil Kumar Dubey said before the situation worsens the area should be sealed.

“We don’t want Mauli Jagran to become another Bapu Dham Colony. High-risk people should be put in institutional quarantine and the area should be sealed. All possible measures should be undertaken without wasting any time,” he said.

Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26 has reported 249 cases so far, accounting for 61.6% cases of the city. One of the fresh cases — a 20-year-old pregnant woman — is also from this congested colony. Her two family contacts have also been tested.

Besides, seven family contacts of a patient from Sector 24 have also tested positive. They include four children, aged six months, 6, 10 and 12 years, and three adults, aged 38, 34 and 57.

A three-year-old girl from Sector 38 has also tested positive. She is also a family contact of an already diagnosed case from the same sector. Another 59-year-old man from Sector 39, who is a workplace contact of a positive case of Sector 25, has been found positive as well. He has two family contacts, who have been sampled for testing.