Chandigarh tricity’s daily Covid cases drop below 300, but five more die

Tricity’s daily Covid-19 cases receded further to 254 on Sunday, a 30% drop from 361 cases the day before

Tricity’s daily Covid-19 cases receded further to 254 on Sunday, a 30% drop from 361 cases the day before.

With Covid restrictions eased in Chandigarh, Sukhna Lake continues to brim with huge crowds, with many not wearing masks or following social distancing, as seen on Sunday. (Keshav Singh/HT)

But the contagion claimed five more lives in the tricity, after an equal number of deaths on Saturday, taking February’s toll to 33.

Both Chandigarh and Mohali once again recorded two deaths each, and Panchkula, too, lost another resident.

The deceased patients from Chandigarh included a 91-year-old fully-vaccinated man from Sector 40. He had developed severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).

The other patient, a 77-year-old woman from Sector 49, was not vaccinated against the virus, and also had diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

In Mohali, the latest victims were a 62-year-old woman from Kumbran village, who died at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, and a 45-year-old Kurali man, who was admitted at PGIMER, Chandigarh.

The patient who died in Panchkula was a 73-year-old woman from Sector 17. She was also suffering from acute kidney injury (AKI).

Since the beginning of February, though the daily cases have been rapidly decreasing, there is no major decline in the number of daily deaths.

Chandigarh has recorded 17 deaths this month, Mohali 11 and Panchkula five, compared to 42, 50 and 20, respectively in entire January.

Elderly, comorbid people vulnerable

Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh, said the fatalities lately comprised mostly those of old age or those suffering from comorbidities, indicating both categories of patients were vulnerable to the virus. “Their condition worsened not only because of Covid, but also due to other ailments. But we cannot be sure if the virus worsened the status of ailments. So vaccination and precautions cannot be ignored,” she added.

Among the fresh infections in the tricity on Sunday, Mohali reported 122, Chandigarh 105 and Panchkula 27, their lowest daily tallies in over four weeks.

At 3,698, tricity’s active caseload on Sunday was also lowest in a month. As many as 1,692 patients are still recuperating in Mohali, 1,571 in Chandigarh and 435 in Panchkula.

Meanwhile, the positivity rate was down to 3% in Panchkula and 6.8% in Mohali, but rose to 8% in Chandigarh after dipping to 3% on Saturday.