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Chandigarh tricity’s daily Covid cases soar to 2,024 in record high
Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula also hit biggest spikes individually, clocking 931, 634 and 459 cases respectively
The tricity on Thursday touched a fresh peak of 2,024 Covid-19 cases, as Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula individually hit their all-time highs since the outbreak in March last year.
The grim milestone comes four days after the tricity logged its last high of 1,684 cases on April 18.
On Thursday, Mohali reported 931 cases, Chandigarh 634 and Panchkula 459 – a first for all three cities.
Mohali and Chandigarh had registered their previous biggest spikes (880 and 625) on April 18, a day after Panchkula had clocked its last high of 349.
Thursday also saw 13 patients succumbing to the virus across the tricity, highest in a day during the pandemic’s second wave. Among them, seven people died in Mohali, four in Chandigarh and two in Panchkula.
Mohali’s active cases cross 7,000 mark
With the fresh infections, Mohali’s active cases soared to 7,171 – highest in the tricity. The district’s total cases stand at 39,247, of which 31,552 patients (80.39%) have successfully beaten the virus, while 524 have died.
Within 22 days of April, the 12,602 cases and 88 deaths in the district are already nearly double the 6,315 cases and 48 deaths recorded in March.
40-year-old among UT’s casualties
In Chandigarh, 4,723 patients are recuperating among the 36,404 cases reported so far. As many as 31,704 people (87.08%) have recovered and 427 have died.
Among the city’s latest fatalities, three – a 40-year-old man from Sector 30, a 52-year-old man from Sector 51 and a 70-year-old man from Manimajra – also had kidney disease. The fourth deceased was a 62-year-old man from Sector 26, who was suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome.
29 ITBP personnel test +ve in Panchkula
Those who died in Panchkula were a 45-year-old man from Pinjore, who also had hypertension and diabetes, and a 75-year old woman from Billa.
The district’s fresh cases included 29 personnel from the ITBP and two from the CRPF. Panchkula’s total count has reached 18,032, of which 2,493 cases are active. A total of 15,362 patients (85.19%) have been cured and 177 have died.
Remdesivir and tocilizumab scarce in Chandigarh
Stocks of remdesivir and tocilizumab, two drugs used to treat Covid-19, have exhausted in the city, even though doctors suggest that they do not reduce mortality.
UT health secretary Arun Gupta said a few doses of remdesivir were left in government stocks, but those of tocilizumab had run out. “We have placed an order for more supplies,” he said.
Meanwhile, PGIMER clarified that remdesivir was an antiviral drug, which did not help with reducing mortality. It is not effective in patients requiring high oxygen support or ventilation. Similarly, various studies have not shown any mortality benefit through tocilizumab as well, the institute said.
