No fresh Covid case, Chandigarh tally at 27

No fresh case of Covid-19 was reported in the city on Tuesday, however, the report of 24 persons tested on Tuesday is awaited. After the last case confirmed on Monday, the number of confirmed cases in Chandigarh stands at 27, with 13 cases being active. As many as 14 people have recovered and no one has succumbed to the virus in the city so far.

Health officials said the 25 contacts of the 82-year-old woman from Sector 18, whose case was reported on Monday, have been traced. Blood samples of all twelve household contacts of the patient as well as two more family contacts living in an adjacent house have been drawn. Three community contacts have also been traced and are under watch. Reports of all suspected persons is awaited.

Two family contacts of the 52-year-old woman from Sector 30, who tested positive last Friday, have also tested negative. Meanwhile, the patients’ community contact, residing in Sector 21, also tested negative. Another community contact who is residing in Punjab has been traced and information has been conveyed to the Punjab health department, officials said.

About 497 people have been tested in Chandigarh so far. As many as 24 people are suspected to be infected, while 600 are in quarantine.

Meanwhile the UT administration has stopped the use of rapid testing kits for Covid after the Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday told states to stop using the newly-distributed Chinese kits for the next two days following reports of varying accuracy in the results across the region.

Chandigarh health secretary, Arun Gupta, said they have stopped testing after the communication from ICMR. Around 9 persons tested with these kits all tested negative.