E-Paper
Chandigarh records no Covid death after 81 days
Cases slip to 22; health director cautions residents against complacency to keep the situation from worsening
Chandigarh on Sunday announced zero Covid-19 deaths for the first time since March 31, a milestone that the city had been looking forward to after a deadly second wave.
The cases also declined further to 22 in a new low since February 19, when 19 people had tested positive 121 days ago.
Just a day after the Chandigarh administration had imposed the lockdown on May 4, Chandigarh had seen its daily deaths peaking to 14, a number it recorded twice again on May 12 and May 21 as the city’s health infrastructure continued to battle the sudden stream of critical patients.
But after the city completed three weeks under lockdown on May 24, the day also saw the daily deaths dropping below 10, with seven people succumbing to the virus.
For the subsequent seven days less than 10 people died every day and the figure further dropped to five or less through the first 19 days of June, until the city recorded no death on Sunday.
In all, the city recorded 275 virus-related deaths in May, its deadliest phase in the pandemic since it started in March last year. The month alone makes up for 29% of Chandigarh’s Covid deaths.
In terms of cases, May’s figure of 17,399 also accounts for the most infections in Chandigarh, forming 28% of the tally.
But after staying under lockdown for five weeks till June 8, the city’s cases have dropped from the all-time high of 895 on May 9 to 22 on June 20 – a slump of 97.5%.
UT’s health director Dr Amandeep Kaur Kang said the zero deaths were worth celebrating after a tremendously difficult phase.
“But I wish people would realise the importance of following Covid-appropriate behaviour, as people tend to forget with drop in numbers. Residents need to be more responsible as every life is precious. The pandemic numbers may peak again after staying low for a couple of months,” she cautioned.
No Covid death in Mohali for second consecutive day
In more good news, Mohali also reported no Covid death for the second day in a row. On Saturday, Mohali’s daily casualties came down to zero after a gap of 84 days.
However, two people died in Panchkula that has recorded zero deaths on nine days in June.
Both districts also saw their daily cases dropping further. Against 28 cases on Saturday, Mohali had 27 on Sunday and Panchkula’s infections also came down from five to four. With this, tricity’s active cases slipped below the 1,000 mark for the first time in over three months. Currently, 924 patients are recuperating, including 469 in Mohali, 353 in Chandigarh and 102 in Panchkula. The daily positivity rate across the tricity remains below 3%.
