E-Paper
Covid in Chandigarh: South Africa returnee, wife have mild symptoms
The South Africa returnee, his wife and domestic help, who tested positive for Covid in Chandigarh on Monday, are showing only mild symptoms, according to the health department
The South Africa returnee, his wife and domestic help, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, are showing only mild symptoms, the UT health department said on Wednesday.
“The foreign returnee has developed only mild symptoms like fever and cough and does not have severe infection. His wife and domestic help also have the same symptoms. Their health is continuously being monitored by doctors at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and required treatment is being given to them,” said Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, the UT administration declared a part of Sector 36, where the family resides, as a containment zone. The authorities said regular screening and monitoring will be done and frequent sanitisation of the area will be carried out. Residents have been advised to follow social distancing norms, wear masks and take care of hand hygiene.
The health department has also sent their samples for genome sequencing to the central laboratory in New Delhi to check if they are infected with the new Omicron variant, she said.
Omicron (B.1.1.529), a new variant of concern, is believed to have originated in South Africa and has attracted worldwide attention.Though there is no case of Omicron in the country so far, medical experts from other countries have described its symptoms as “extremely mild”.
Covid in tricity: 17 more test positive
Meanwhile, 17 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the tricity on Wednesday. Chandigarh and Mohali reported six cases each while five people were found infected in Panchkula. On Tuesday, the tricity’s case tally stood at 13.
However, no Covid-related death was reported on Wednesday. Last month, four people had succumbed to the virus. All were residents of Mohali district.
The tricity’s active caseload has climbed to 134, with 66 patients in Chandigarh, 42 in Mohali and 26 in Panchkula.
Chandigarh has so far reported 65,471 positive cases, of which 64,585 have been cured while 820 patients have died. In Mohali, the tally has climbed to 68,954. Among them, 67,840 patients have recovered and 1,072 have died. Panchkula’s caseload of 30,837 includes 30,432 recoveries and 379 casualties.
Covid in Panchkula: Care centres to reopen
In view of a spike in Covid-19 cases, the Panchkula health department has requested the administration to reopen the Covid care centre and quarantine facilities, which were closed after the second wave receded.
The issue came up during a meeting between deputy commissioner (DC) Mahavir Kaushik and members of the Covid-19 monitoring committee to check the arrangements in place for a possible third wave.
In November, Panchkula’s caseload nearly doubled to 63 from 35 cases reported in October. It was the highest number of cases in the past five months.
It was decided that a Covid care centre will be established again at the civil hospital to look after the new patients while a quarantine facility will come up in Sector 9 with a capacity to isolate at least 50 persons.
Dr Mukta Kumar, chief medical officer, said: “The situation is quite unpredictable. We have to closely monitor the situation for a little longer to make any observation. However, we are making all arrangements.”
In view of the Haryana government’s recent order, the DC said a prior permission will be needed if a gathering of over 500 people is taking place in open areas.
Insisting on use of masks, he directed the police department and municipal corporation to create awareness and ensure strict compliance, especially at crowded areas. He also gave directions to increase sampling.
