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Big spike: Chandigarh tricity logs 361 Covid cases in 24 hours
Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula record highest single-day surge in over six months; 47-year-old cancer patient succumbs to virus
As many as 361 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the tricity on Tuesday, a 157% spike from 140 cases the day before and the highest single-day tally in seven months.
A 47-year-old woman also succumbed to the virus in Panchkula on Tuesday. Hailing from Rampur Jangi, she was a cancer patient as well.
It was only on June 3 when 366 cases were reported in the tricity, following which the cases had been gradually receding until the recent surge in infections.
Tuesday’s cases comprised 139 patients from Mohali, 128 from Chandigarh and 94 from Panchkula – all at least six-month highs.
Both Mohali and Chandigarh had last recorded over 100 cases only in July, while Panchkula’s daily tally had remained below 90 since June 2.
Active cases shoot past 1,000
With the latest jump in daily infections, tricity’s active cases also breached the 1,000 mark – a first since June 18, when 1,108 patients were infected.
The tricity now has 1,066 Covid patients. These include 500 in Chandigarh, 312 in Mohali and 254 in Panchkula.
24 healthcare staff found positive at PGIMER
Chandigarh’s latest cases included 20 doctors, two nurses and two lab technicians from PGIMER. Two doctors from the Sector-22 civil hospital, two doctors and one clerk at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, and one at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, were also among those found infected.
The remaining infected patients are residents of various urban sectors and villages.
In Mohali, 68 cases were reported from Mohali city, 43 from Kharar and 28 from Dera Bassi.
Panchkula’s cases mainly surfaced in urban sectors. As many as 14 cases were reported from Sector 20, and around five each from Sectors 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 12-A, 14, 15 and 16. The remaining infections were scattered across Sectors 2, 4, 9, 17, 21, 25 to 28, Morni, ITBP, Garhi Kotaha and Amravati Enclave.
UT’s positivity rate soars to 9.07%
In added worries for the UT health department, the single-day positivity rate climbed to 9.07% on Tuesday with 128 of 1,412 people being tested turning out to be positive.
Mohali and Panchkula clocked a positivity rate of 6.8% and 5.1%, respectively, also new highs in the recent past.
Chandigarh’s caseload now stands at 66,264, including 64,685 recoveries and 1,079 deaths.
The total cases in Mohali have reached 69,413. As many as 68,026 patients here have recovered and 1,075 have died.
In Panchkula, of the total 31,187 cases, 30,551 patients have been cured and 382 have lost the battle to the virus.
Six new containment zones in UT
The Chandigarh administration declared six new containment zones in the city on Tuesday. The areas sealed are located in Sectors 38 West, 38-C, 40-A and 46-C, and parts of Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra.
UT administration to take call on night curfew tomorrow
After Mohali and Panchkula announced night curfew in view of the rising Covid-19 cases, the UT administration said it will take a call on imposing similar restrictions during the Covid review meeting on January 6.
UT adviser Dharam Pal said, “Currently, the hospitalisation rate is less than 1%. So there is no pressure on the health infrastructure. Most patients are asymptomatic and those being hospitalised have moderate symptoms. The rising positivity rate is our only area of concern, as it may build pressure on hospitals.”
On additional restrictions, Pal said, “We want to keep life as normal as possible because restrictions impact people’s livelihood. But if the health infrastructure is impacted, we will have to go in for additional restrictions.”
On Tuesday, the Punjab government announced a night curfew from 10pm to 5am, while the Haryana government had imposed these restrictions in Panchkula on December 25.
₹84,500 collected in fine from mask violators in Panchkula
Cracking the whip on people moving about without masks in public, the Panchkula police challaned 169 violators and collected ₹84,500 in fine on Tuesday.
A day before, 132 people were fined for the same violation. Till date, 39,937 people have been challaned in the district for not wearing masks.
Cafe owner, four others held for violating night curfew
A cafe owner and four other people were arrested for violating the 11pm-to-5am curfew in Panchkula on Monday night.
Police said the owner of The Posh Cafe and Club, Sector 20, and four others were arrested after the establishment was found hosting a dance party beyond the permissible time limit.
They were booked under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 51-B of the Disaster Management Act.
Make-shift hospital set up at Mohali college
Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences in Phase 6 has come up with a 100-bed makeshift hospital on the college premises.
Director-principal Dr Bhavneet Bharti said they had already set up a Covid skill lab and a 10-bed ICU will also be functional soon. Besides, all four PSA plants in the college were functional, she said.
Pvt hospitals in Panchkula told to install PSA plants
In the wake of the increasing cases, Panchkula deputy commissioner Mahavir Kaushik called a meeting with representatives of three private hospitals – Ojas, Paras and Alchemist.
The DC directed the private hospitals to ensure installation of a PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) plant, which is compulsory for hospitals with over 50-bed capacity.
