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20-day-old boy among 19 Covid deaths across Chandigarh tricity
Tricity records highest single-day death toll; total reaches 284
A 20-day-old boy from Chandigarh’s Colony No. 4, a slum settlement near the Industrial Area, is among 19 people whose deaths were confirmed across the tricity on Monday, in the highest Covid-19 toll recorded in a day so far.
While Mohali district reported eight deaths, Panchkula followed with six, its highest number of fatalities in a day, and Chandigarh recorded five casualties.
The tricity’s toll has piled up to 284 since the first infection surfaced in Chandigarh on March 18.
The infant who died at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, on Sunday had multiple organ failure and sepsis and later tested positive for Covid-19, stated a Chandigarh health department release.
Among the other four who died in the Union Territory, two are men aged above 70. They were residents of Sector 15 and 40 and were undergoing treatment at private hospitals in Mohali.
A man, aged 57, from Sector 39, and a woman, aged 69, from Mauli Jagran, both of whom had diabetes, also succumbed, taking the UT’s toll to 95.
Those who lost their life in Mohali include five senior citizens, all with comorbid conditions, mostly hypertension and diabetes. They have been identified as two women, aged 75 and 84, from Kharar and Mohali, respectively, and three men, aged 62, 68 and 81, from Kharar, Dera Bassi and Sunny Enclave in Kharar, respectively.
A 31-year-old man from Dharamgarh and two women, aged 30 and 52, from Nayagaon and Kharar, respectively, also succumbed. They, too, had pre-existing medical conditions, said Dr Manjit Singh, civil surgeon, Mohali, adding that all eight were hospitalised for more than two weeks and were on critical care. The district has recorded 142 deaths so far.
In Panchkula, two men, aged 75, from Sector 10 and Kalka besides a 72-year-old man from Saketri were among the casualties. Two women, aged 60, from Sector 11 and Majra Mehtab and a 34-year-old man from Pinjore also died, taking the district’s toll to 47.
623 people test +ve
Meanwhile, 623 new cases of Covid-19 were reported across the tricity, a day after a record 865 infections had surfaced.
As many as 254 fresh cases surfaced in Chandigarh, taking its tally past 8,000. So far, 8,245 people have tested positive in the UT, and 2,847 (35%) cases are still active.
In just the past two weeks, since the beginning of September, Chandigarh has recorded above 3,800 cases, more than the infections reported throughout August. Also, 41% of the total deaths have occurred just this month, with on an average three being reported daily, up from one in August.
Mohali district recorded 274 fresh cases, with 99 surfacing just in the city. Dhakoli followed with 50, Gharuan with 46, Kharar with 38 and Dera Bassi with 29.
The total has reached 6,937, 2,289 (33%) of which are active. With 204 more patients being discharged, the number of those cured stands at 4,506.
In Panchkula, 95 fresh cases surfaced, including of three CRPF men. As many as 4,205 people have tested positive so far, and 1,219 (29%) cases remain active.
“It’s high time people exercise self-restraint and not venture out unnecessarily. If is in inevitable, proper hand hygiene should be followed and masks should be used properly,” said Dr Yogesh Chawla, former director, PGIMER.
