As many as 42% Covid-19 cases reported in Chandigarh in the past one week (from January 8 to 14) surfaced in 15 residential pockets, raising concerns of rising community transmission.
There are 100 residential pockets in the city, including sectors, villages and colonies, and fresh cases are being reported from each of them, data made available by the UT health department revealed.
Of the total 7,261 cases reported in the city in the past week, as many as 3,090 cases were from 15 worst-affected areas, which included Manimajra and Dhanas besides Sectors 15, 19, 20, 22, 23, 32, 35, 37, 38, 40, 44, 45 and 49.
At 606, the highest number of cases was reported from Manimajra, which accounted for 9% of the city’s tally. At 323, Sector 15 is placed second, followed by 212 cases in Sector 38 and 211 in Sector 22.
‘Community transmission, but no hot spot‘
Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh, said: “Manimajra is a densely populated area with small houses or quarters. Most households have joint families with their members in the working class. As people move out for work and then come back to such small houses, where no social distancing can be followed, infection gets transmitted among family members.”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh, said: “Manimajra is a densely populated area with small houses or quarters. Most households have joint families with their members in the working class. As people move out for work and then come back to such small houses, where no social distancing can be followed, infection gets transmitted among family members.”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Singh said that as the present wave has reached the community transmission stage, it is not possible to trace the source of infection. “Cases are being reported among people from all walks of life, in all age groups and from across the city. Even then, there is no cluster or hot spot in Chandigarh, as cases are consistently increasing in all areas and there was no sudden outbreak in any pocket,” she said.
Meanwhile, talking about the high infection rate in Sector 15, area councillor Saurabh Joshi said: “The sector has government quarters, nursing quarters, PG accommodations and hostels. Since many healthcare workers, from both the PGIMER and GMSH-16, live in Sector 15, and the infection rate is high among them, their families are also testing positive. Also, students moving out for coaching classes or to have food at crowded restaurants are vulnerable to infection,” he said.
221 active micro-containment zones in Chandigarh
As on Saturday, there as many as 221 active micro-containment zones in Chandigarh. These are blocks of houses or buildings in residential areas where Covid-19 cases have surfaced.
“A micro-containment zone is declared when three or more people from the same area are tested positive. The transmissibility of the infection is being reported among close contacts or family members only, and hence, micro-containment zones are being declared only in parts of localities,” said Dr Singh.
She further clarified that an entire area is declared a hot spot and turned into a containment zone only if there are more than 200 cases reported from there in a day.