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Covid: With 692 cases, 92% jump in Chandigarh tricity’s daily tally
Chandigarh, Mohali log 200+ Covid cases for first time since June, Panchkula’s tally of 171 highest since May
As many as 692 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the tricity on Wednesday, a 92% jump from 361 cases the day before and the highest single-day tally since the second wave started receding in the third week of May last year.
A 72-year-old woman also succumbed to the virus in Chandigarh. A resident of Behlana, she was fully vaccinated against Covid-19 but was suffering from artery disease, diabetes, hypertension and hyperthyroidism. It is the first death reported in the UT in 15 days, and third in the tricity this year.
The Wednesday’s tally comprises 292 cases from Mohali, 229 from Chandigarh and 171 from Panchkula. Their previous day tally stood at 139, 128 and 94, respectively.
During the second wave, the tricity’s daily tally had peaked at 2,612 on May 10. Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula had recorded the peak at 1,382 (May 10), 895 (May 9) and 654 (May 5), respectively.
Meanwhile, from 457 on the New Year day, the active caseload has shot up to 1,640 in the tricity.
Positivity rate above 10% in Mohali, UT
Both Mohali and Chandigarh on Wednesday crossed the 200 mark for the first time since June last year. Mohali’s total count has reached 69,705 cases and 1,075 deaths, with 534 cases and one fatality this month so far. In December last year, 214 cases and two deaths were reported.
Among the fresh cases, 133 cases surfaced in Mohali, 62 in Dhakoli and 44 in Kharar while the remaining were spread across Dera Bassi, Boothgarh, Gharuan, Lalru and Kurali. Meanwhile, just one patient recovered from the disease, taking the number of active cases to 603 and the total of those cured to 68,027. The positivity rate stood at 14.6%.
In Chandigarh, the positivity rate for the day was 12.1%. Of 1,898 samples tested by the health department, 229 were found positive.
The new cases were spread across the city, with 18 reported from Sector 15, 17 from Manimajra and 16 from the PGIMER campus. According to the health department data, 183 of the 229 infected people are fully vaccinated, three have taken the first dose and 30 have not been jabbed yet. Meanwhile, 12 are below the age of 15, and are ineligible for vaccination.
So far in Chandigarh, as many as 66,493 people have tested positive, of whom 1,080 have succumbed to the virus and 64,748 have recovered. The active caseload stands at 665.
Only 7% need hospitalisation in P’kula
In Panchkula, the single-day tally has jumped from 26 on January 1 to 171 on January 5, and the positivity rate has shot up from 1% to 8% within these five days.
It was on May 25, 2021, when a similar scenario — 174 cases and positivity rate of 9% — was last reported. Even the recovery rate has dropped by 1% after a long gap.
Clusters have been witnessed across sectors. For instance, 21 cases each have been reported from Sectors 20 and 21. Meanwhile, around half a dozen cases each were reported from Sectors 4 to 9.
The total count has reached 31,358, of which 30,604 patients have been cured, 382 have died and 372 are still positive. However, only 26 patients are hospitalised, while 346 are isolated at their homes.
“We have sufficient arrangements in place. There are enough oxygen beds in both government and private sectors. While asymptomatic people are kept at their homes, for those suffering from mild symptoms, there is an arrangement of Covid Care Centre near Mansa Devi Temple,” said Dr Mankirat, the spokesperson of the Civil Hospital, Sector 6.
