E-Paper
Covid-19: No death in Chandigarh for four days
The daily infection count in the tricity stood at 33, with 15 cases in Chandigarh, followed by 14 in Mohali district and four in Panchkula
Chandigarh on Sunday reported no death due to Covid-19 for fourth consecutive day, while 15 people tested positive for the virus.
The daily infection count in the tricity stood at 33, with 14 cases surfacing in Mohali district and four in Panchkula. In terms of deaths, there was a lone fatality, that of a 49-year-old man from Mansa Devi Complex in Panchkula.
Meanwhile, the active caseload dropped to 554 from Saturday’s 594. Mohali has 280 active cases, followed by 203 in Chandigarh and just 71 in Panchkula. Recovery rate is above 98% across the tricity while daily positivity rate is below 1.3%.
Amid a decline in the second wave of the pandemic, the tricity had reported the first case of the Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus on Saturday, raising renewed concerns.
According to the World Health Organisation, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2), first identified in India, is spreading in at least 85 nations, and is the “most transmissible of the variants identified so far”. Delta Plus (B.1.617.2.1) is its more virulent version, which has raised concerns about its capability to evade immunity built by vaccination or the previous infection.
The first case in the tricity was that of a 35-year-old resident of Chandigarh, whose swab sample along with that of 49 other patients tested positive for Covid-19 since May were sent by the UT health department for genome sequencing to the National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi, on June 6. Genome sequencing attempts to draw out the complete genetics of the viruses.
“The sample of a 35-year-old man, who is a resident of Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, was tested positive for the Delta Plus strain, which is believed to be more transmittable and dangerous. The patient was tested positive for Covid-19 on May 22, and he has recovered from the virus,” Dr Amandeep Kang, director, health services, Chandigarh, had said.
In view of the circulation of the new and more transmissible variant strains in the community, health experts have advised people to adhere to safety protocols and get vaccinated. “Vaccination at the earliest is the only key to protect ourselves from getting infected with these dangerous strains,” said Dr Kang.
