Covid tally crosses 38K-mark with 438 new cases in Ludhiana

So far, 38,052 people have tested positive in the district, of which 3,293 people are still infected and 33,665 have recovered.

With 438 fresh coronavirus detected on Friday, the district’s tally crossed the 38,000-mark on Friday. Four patients succumbed to the virus, pushing the death toll to 1,194.

Around ₹20 lakh was spent in converting a city bus into the mobile clinic and now it’s lying unused. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

So far, 38,052 people have tested positive in the district, of which 3,293 people are still infected and 33,665 have recovered.

Among the newly detected patients were two healthcare workers, two police personnel, two Arya College lecturers, six teachers — one each from Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Jandali village; GSSS, Ayali Khurd; Partap Public School, Hambran Road and Government School, Dashmesh Nagar.

The virus claimed the lives of a 60-year-old woman of Rajgarh, a 41-year-old woman from Basant Avenue, a 58- year-old woman from Fatehgarh Mohalla and a 61-year-old man from Jassowal.

Health department officials said 2,939 more samples had been sent for testing on Friday.

12,514 get jab

As many as 12,514 eligible residents were vaccinated in the district. Of which, 6,628 people were aged between 45 to 60 and 4,448 people above 60 years. Around 45 health care workers got the first dose of vaccination and 129 received the second dose. Similarly, 219 frontline workers received the first dose while 234 were administered their second dose. As many as 268 people aged between 45 to 60 and 525 senior citizens (above 60 years) got the second dose of vaccination. So far, 295924 eligible residents have been vaccinated in the district.

At a time when the state government has asked health officials to increase testing, the mobile testing van-cum-ambulance, which was introduced by the administration in August last year, has not been used for over three months.

Around ₹20 lakh was spent in converting a city bus into a mobile clinic. The administration had initially used the van for testing residents in micro-containment and densely populated areas. However, after a decline in infections in the first week of January, its services were stopped.

However, the services have not been restarted despite a second wave of infections sweeping through the district. The bus, which carries a doctor and a technician, is equipped to collect samples at people’s doorsteps.

Civil surgeon Dr Sukhjeevan Kakkar said, “The van is under the jurisdiction of the district administration. The department will discuss the matter in the coming days. Meanwhile, testing is being done on a large scale in the city.”