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Chandigarh tricity logs 987 Covid cases, highest since outbreak
Chandigarh records 399 cases, highest since first wave in September; Mohali accounts for the maximum with 481 cases and Panchkula the least with 107 cases
The tricity on Wednesday recorded 987 fresh Covid-19 cases, its highest single-day spike since the outbreak last March.
With 399 cases, Chandigarh set a new second-wave record, while Mohali reported 481 cases and Panchkula accounted for 107.
Chandigarh has recorded around 3,100 cases and nine deaths in the first week of April. On Tuesday, when the administration decided to reintroduce night curfew, the Union health secretary had even flagged Chandigarh as the only area of concern among small states and union territories.
The total number of cases has reached 29,197, of which 3,121 (10.7%) are active.
While 25,688 (88%) patients have recovered, 388 have died, including an 80-year-old man from Sector 45 and a 62-year-old woman from the Industrial Area who succumbed on Wednesday.
In Panchkula district, the total count has gone up to 14,053. There are 1,184 (8.4%) active cases, 12,713 (90.5%) patients have been cured and 156 have succumbed to the virus to date. In April, 1,024 cases and two deaths have been reported.
Though fatalities have remained low in Chandigarh and Panchkula this month, experts warn the impact of the present surge will be seen in terms of deaths in the coming weeks.
Seven patients succumb in Mohali
Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, Mohali district is also recording a steep spike in fatalities, with seven more patients reported to have died on Wednesday.
While the death toll stands at 465, the total number of cases has reached 29,518.
The district has logged 2,825 cases and 32 deaths in the first week of April, as compared to 6,315 cases and 48 deaths throughout March.
The number of active cases has bumped up to 4,277, nearly 15% of the total, and recovery rate has dropped to 84%, with 24,776 discharged so far, including 110 on Wednesday.
Mohali city continues to report bulk of the cases, with 181 surfacing on Wednesday, followed by 102 in Dhakoli, 91 in Kharar, 45 in Gharuan, 32 in Dera Bassi, 13 in Kurali, six each in Banur and Boothgarh and five in Lalru.
Underling the urgent need to adhere to Covid appropriate behaviour and intensification of the vaccination drive, Bhavneet Bharti, director-principal, Dr B R Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali, urged people to wear masks and follow social distancing norms at all costs to save themselves and their loved ones from the virus.
“The vaccine is the most potent shield we have against this deadly virus, urging everyone eligible to get the shot at the earliest,” said Bharti while addressing an awareness function at the institute on Wednesday.
