Covid claims 81-year-old man’s life in Chandigarh; tricity’s daily cases climb to 159
The patient, a resident of Chandigarh’s Sector 42, passed away at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on Friday;he was fully vaccinated against the virus, but also suffering from advanced stage cancer, heart and kidney disease
An 81-year-old man became the latest Covid-19 fatality in Chandigarh, the second within 12 days.
The patient, a resident of Sector 42, passed away at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on Friday. He was fully vaccinated against the virus, but also suffering from advanced stage cancer, heart and kidney disease.
On March 26, an 88-year-old man from Sector 14, had succumbed to the virus at GMSH, Sector 16. He had a history of coronary artery disease, respiratory illness, hypertension and kidney problems.
69% jump in tricity’s daily cases
In terms of fresh cases, as many as 159 people were found infected on Friday, a 69% spike from 94 cases on Thursday.
Panchkula emerged as the primary contributor to the surge, reporting 72 new cases against 39 the day before. In Mohali too, the cases doubled from 23 to 51, while Chandigarh saw their number rise slightly from 32 to 36.
The fresh cases in Chandigarh include 13 male and 23 females, who are residents of various sectors, including Sectors 7, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 39, 43, 44 and 51, Dhanas, Faidan, Hallomajra, Industrial Area, Khuda Lahora, Maloya and Manimajra.
Active cases cross 500 mark
With the new infections, the number of active cases in the tricity also surpassed the 500 mark. Compared to 425 active cases the day before, now 506 people are infected with the virus, including 174 in Chandigarh, 180 in Mohali and 152 in Panchkula. As per the respective health departments, most patients have mild symptoms and are under home isolation.
Mock drills in Chandigarh on April 10, 11
The UT health department will hold a Covid mock drill on April 10 and 11 in response to the rising cases. This decision was taken following directions from Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya during a virtual Covid review meeting on Friday.
UT health services director Dr Suman Singh said the health minister advised the states and UTs to remain vigilant and fully prepared for managing the recent surge in Covid-19 cases. “So, we will be conducting mock drills to assess the readiness of all hospital infrastructure on April 10 and 11,” she said.
During the virtual meeting with state health ministers, and principal and additional chief secretaries, Mandaviya emphasised the importance of identifying emergency hotspots through monitoring trends of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases, increasing testing and vaccination efforts, and ensuring the readiness of hospital infrastructure.