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Chandigarh tricity’s Covid cases shot up 274% in week gone by
Health experts caution spike in cases in Chandigarh tricity area indicates arrival of third wave; say adherence to safety protocols must to prevent situation from worsening
With a whopping 547 cases in the week ending on January 2, the Chandigarh tricity area recorded a 274% spike in cases from last week.
Besides, a virus-related fatality was also reported in Mohali.
As the weekly tally is highest since the second wave started ebbing away in the area in June, medical experts believe that the ongoing upward trend of weekly infections can be regarded as the onset of the third wave.
In the previous week, ending on December 26, the tricity had reported 146 cases and two fatalities owing to the virus, making it the third consecutive week when the Covid-19 infections were above 100.
With the municipal corporation (MC) election rallies in Chandigarh and wedding season across the tricity, the sudden surge in cases was seen in all areas.
Chandigarh reported 287 cases this week, against 71 cases last week, while the figure rose from 34 to 144 in Mohali and from 41 to 116 in Panchkula in the same period.
As the tricity rang in the New Year, it logged 125 cases on January 1, the highest single-day tally in six months. A day later, 181 people tested positive, a jump of 38%.
Dr GD Puri, dean, academics, and head of the Covid management panel, PGIMER, said, “The number of daily Covid cases is doubling every day, indicating arrival of third wave of the pandemic. Comorbid people are vulnerable to severe infection, even if fully vaccinated. People must exercise caution to prevent the situation from worsening.”
At the peak of the second wave, the tricity had recorded 46,245 cases and 790 deaths in just one month. With curbs on public movement in place across the tricity, the curve had started flattening thereon. The weekly tally had never crossed the 100 mark until the week ending on November 29, which saw 109 infections, and the weekly tally has continued to multiply gradually ever since.
‘Infection spread restricted to close contacts’
Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh, said, “Currently in Chandigarh, there is no cluster or hotspot, as the infection is being spread only within close contacts. As around 90% of the adults in Chandigarh are fully vaccinated, hospitalisation and severity among infected people is very less.”
Yet, she cautioned the sharp increase in cases should not be taken lightly: “The cases have increased due to crowded gatherings in election rallies, marriage events and festivities, where people did not bother to follow safety protocols. People must get vaccinated at the earliest and follow guidelines to avert further surge.”
Mohali civil surgeon Dr Adarshpal Kaur blamed public’s callousness for the spike in infections. “People have completely forgotten precautions. In public places, most people are out and about without masks and don’t maintain social distance,” she said.
Panchkula chief medical officer Dr Mukta Kumar said the current trend indicated that the cases were going to increase further. Therefore, they had made adequate arrangements at the government health facilities.
