E-Paper
Covid-19: Chandigarh records 91% dip in cases in June
The monthly death toll dropped by 80% from 275 in May to 55 in June; cases came down from 17,399 to 1,502
As the second wave of Covid-19 is tapering off in Chandigarh, the monthly cases have dropped significantly by 91% while the casualties have dipped by 80% in the month of June.
As per the official data of the UT health department, cases had started increasing after mid April, but it was in the month of May that Chandigarh witnessed a peak of the second wave with 17,399 cases and 275 casualties, the worst figures so far.
In June, however, only 1,502 fresh infections were reported and the number of deaths came down to 55. In the last seven days of June, ending on Wednesday, Chandigarh recorded a single casualty after no deaths were reported for six days in a row. Meanwhile, most of the ICU and ventilator beds in the city’s government hospitals are lying vacant.
Besides, active cases in UT have also recorded a dip from 1,767 on June 1 to 154 cases on June 30. The cumulative positivity rate stands at 10.87%. Meanwhile, with 0.5% people testing positive out of total samples tested on June 28, 29 and 30, UT recorded the lowest positivity rate in the past one year.
Till Wednesday, UT recorded a total of 61,670 cases, of which 808 succumbed to the virus while 60,708 recovered.
As for testing, the UT health department performed poorly: over 1 lakh tests were performed in the month of May while testing dropped by 44% in June. Only 58,703 were tested in June, of which 1,502 tested positive, a positivity rate of 2.5%.
Focus now on more testing, vaccination
Dr Amandeep Kang, director health services, said, “Testing plays a key role in controlling spread of infection and our aim is to test around 2,000 people daily to avert a possible third wave. We have asked the authorities of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research to ensure testing of people visiting OPDs.”
“Even though cases are dropping, people must adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols. If people will not wear masks and maintain social distance, cases may start to spike again. Also, people should get themselves vaccinated,” said PGIMER director, Dr Jagat Ram.
