Himachal sees 120% rise in Covid cases this week
Kangra, Solan and Una are Covid hotspots, while Shimla, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Sirmaur have seen sporadic outbreaks since March 24
Himachal Pradesh has seen a 120% rise in Covid-19 cases in one week with the total case tally climbing up to 63,605 on Wednesday.
According to the health department, the state recorded 2,570 fresh infections over the past week as compared to the 1,166 cases reported the week before.
The highest single-day spike of this year was also recorded on March 27 when 416 people tested positive in the state.
The rising cases have also led to a rise in fatality. This week, 23 people lost their lives due to coronavirus-related complications, while 14 people died last week. There has been a 64% increase in fatalities. The total Covid-19 toll in the state stands at 1,035.
The case fatality ratio has gone up from 1.4% to 1.6% in a week. Active cases have gone up sharply from 1,455 in the previous week to 2,973 on Wednesday.
Kangra, Solan and Una have emerged as Covid hotspots in Himachal Pradesh. Kangra saw a maximum of 568 infections during this week followed Una where 414 people tested positive, and 405 infections were reported in Solan district. Sporadic outbreaks have also been seen in other districts, including Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Sirmaur and Shimla.
285 cases on Wednesday
Himachal recorded a total of 285 cases and three fatalities on Wednesday. Of the new cases 95 were reported in Kangra, 35 in Una, 33 in Bilaspur, 32 in Hamirpur, 28 in Mandi, 25 in Shimla, 16 in Solan, 12 in Sirmaur, five in Kullu and four in Chamba.
Recoveries have reached 59,581 after 139 people recuperated.
Shimla remains the worst hit district with a total of 10,916 infections, followed by Mandi (10,506) and Kangra (9,578).
Alert over new Covid-19 variant
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday urged people to strictly follow the safety protocol and stay alert against the new Covid-19 variant that is more lethal.
Presiding over a review meeting at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, the chief minister said health experts have observed that common symptoms such as cough and fever were not detected in patients infected with the mutant virus and instead, they were suffering from joint pain, weakness and loss of appetite besides pneumonia. The new strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region, rather it directly affects the lungs, which means the window period is shortened.
Thakur asked the health department to encourage people to take the vaccine to reduce chances of infection
