At 12, Ludhiana clocks lowest daily Covid cases in 7 months

April and May had been the most devastating for the district with the daily cases peaking at 1,729 on May 9

The district clocked the lowest single-day virus infections of the year, with only 12 people testing positive for Covid on Friday.

People purchasing sweets from a sweet shop in Ludhiana on Friday. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

The last time the daily cases had been in the ballpark was January 18, when 14 cases had been detected in the district. No deaths were reported for the second consecutive day. With the health officials gearing up for a mega vaccination drive on Saturday, the low tally of infections is encouraging.

April and May had been the most devastating for the district with the daily cases peaking at 1,729 on May 9. The cases finally started to decline after restrictions and lockdowns were imposed across the district. With the cases dwindling, authorities have lifted most curbs. At present, the district has 306 active cases, against the 86,997cases reported in the district. The death toll stands at 2,086.

1 more black fungus case

One fresh case of black fungus was reported in the district while no casualty was reported , as per the district health department officials. The number of confirmed cases in the district has reached 145, out of which 19 patients have succumbed to the disease till now. There were 34 active cases in the district on Friday. Of the confirmed cases, 81 are residents of Ludhiana, while the rest are from other districts/states. Similarly, the deceased include eight residents of Ludhiana, while the rest were from other districts.

The health department is all geared up for a mega vaccination drive scheduled for Saturday. The district has received 85,000 vaccination doses for the first phase. District immunization officer Dr Puneet Juneja said that 1200 healthcare workers will be deployed at 308 mega vaccination sites across the district.