Covid: Chandigarh logs no new case for first time since outbreak

The news comes as a big respite for Chandigarh residents and health authorities, who had been eagerly waiting for the day since outbreak on March 18 last year

For the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak on March 18 last year, Chandigarh recorded zero fresh case on Wednesday, according to data available with the UT health department.

No death was reported for the fourth consecutive day in Chandigarh.

The news is a big respite for the city residents and the authorities, who had been eagerly waiting for the day.

With this, the daily positivity rate also stood at zero, as out of 1,498 tests conducted in the past 24 hours, none returned positive. The authorities have conducted 6,19,395 tests to date.

Meanwhile, no death was reported for the fourth consecutive day. The UT has recorded 61,965 cases so far, of which only 31 remain active. While 61,123 patients have been cured and discharged, 811 persons have lost their lives.

Dr Amandeep Kang, director health services, Chandigarh, said: “Finally, the day is here. We had been waiting to see zero case for a long time now. It is a big relief for all of us.”

Dr Kang said a lot of factors have played role in the decline in figures. “Sero survey shows that nearly 78% adults and 67% children have antibodies. This could be because of high exposure during the two waves and vaccination. As many as 91% people have got the first dose and 27% have been fully vaccinated.”

Urging people to get vaccinated on priority, she said: “If every person gets vaccinated, then we will be on a much stronger footing.”

Mohali, Panchkula see uptick

Even as Chandigarh recorded no case on Wednesday, the neighbouring districts reported an uptick with seven people testing positive in Mohali and four in Panchkula.

These were the highest single-day tallies for the two since July 25 and July 16, respectively. However, no death was reported.

In Mohali district, three cases surfaced in Kharar, two in Dhakoli and one each in Mohali and Banur. In Panchkula, three were reported from Sector 20 and one from Sector 15.

Mohali has recorded 68,468 cases and 1,057 deaths so far, while the figures stand at 30,647 and 376, respectively, in Panchkula. The active caseload in the two districts stands at 32 and 12, respectively.

Doctors have urged people to keep exercising caution and adhere to Covid safety protocol, which are needed to avert the third wave.