E-Paper
Contagion claims 19 lives in Ludhiana, 1,223 test positive
At 11,368, the active cases continued to remain over the 11,000 mark for the third day in a row and highest in Punjab
Showing no signs of easing, the Covid-19 pandemic claimed 19 more deaths in Ludhiana on Saturday, while 1,223 people also tested positive.
The latest casualties, youngest of whom was a 38-year-old man, pushed the district’s toll to 1,528, while the caseload climbed to 65,266.
At 11,368, the active cases continued to remain over the 11,000 mark for the third day in a row. Though the recoveries rose to 52,370 (80.24%), the figure trailed behind the national average of 81.9%.
Through May so far, the district has logged over 1,000 cases every day, clocking 10,680 infections, and also lost 153 residents to the contagion.
The male deceased among Saturday’s fatalities were a 75-year-old from Raikot, a 67-year-old from Macchiwara, a 65-year-old from Mundian Kalan, a 61-year-old from Chhapar, a 59-year-old from Samrala, a 49-year-old from Gurdev Nagar, two aged 48 from Shimlapuri and Jamalpur, and a 38-year-old from Khanna.
The women who died were a 73-year-old from Gurdev Nagar, a 65-year-old from Kidwai Nagar, a 62-year-old from Mullanpur, three 60-year-olds from Ekjot Nagar, Punjab Mata Nagar and Anadpuri, a 55-year-old from Miller Ganj, a 50-year-old from Field Ganj, and two aged 53 from Kalgidhar Marg and Tibba.
As many as 2,000 beds, including 1,804 at private hospitals, across the district are occupied, leaving the health infrastructure grappling with bed crunch.
Civil surgeon Dr Kiran Gill Ahluwalia urged residents to come forward for testing if they noticed any Covid-like symptoms, so that timely treatment could be started and precious lives be saved by reining in the spread of the virus. She also requested people to limit their movement outside and also get vaccinated at the earliest.
