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Himachal sees uptick, active Covid cases cross 1,000-mark
Kangra, Chamba, Shimla, Hamirpur and Mandi districts have emerged as the hotspots whereas other districts also saw a considerable increase in the new infections
Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a fresh spurt in Covid cases with a total of 937 new infections reported in the first week of July.
Kangra, Chamba, Shimla, Hamirpur and Mandi districts have emerged as the hotspots whereas other districts also saw a considerable increase in the new infections.
In the past one week, 280 new infections have been reported from Kangra followed by 116 in Chamba, 114 in Shimla, 95 in Hamirpur and 79 in Mandi.
Among other districts, 57 cases were recorded in Kullu, 54 in Lahaul-Spiti, 40 in Solan, 37 in Sirmaur, 29 in Bilaspur and the lowest 12 in Una.
The active cases have shot up to 1,010 from 550 at the end of June. At the end of May, there were only 47 active cases left in the state. However, no fatality has been reported in July’s first week. Last month, five persons had died due to the infection in the penultimate week.
The uptick began in mid-June.
Himachal’s total case count has reached 2,87,285 while 2,82,133 people have recovered. As many as 4,123 people have died of Covid in the state since the outbreak began in March 2020.
“Right now, we are urging the people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour as the V2 variant is spreading fast in many states,” said principal secretary, health, Subashish Panda. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has spoken to deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to get the firsthand account of the Covid situation in the state.
Himachal had witnessed a heavy tourist rush in June. Between April and June, around 60 lakh tourists visited the hill state, with 18 lakh visiting in April, 19 lakh in May and 21 lakh in June.
While Himachal attracts a large number of domestic tourists, not many foreigners include it in their travel itinerary. Himachal also witnesses a heavy influx of religious tourists after mid-July.
191 fresh cases surface on Friday
Meanwhile, the state recorded 191 fresh cases and a death on Friday.
As many as 38 cases were reported from Kullu, 36 from Kangra, 26 from Hamirpur, 22 from Chamba, 20 from Shimla, 17 from Mandi, 11 from Bilaspur, nine from Solan, eight from Sirmaur, two from Kinnaur and one each from Lahaul-Spiti and Una.
Kangra has maximum 259 active cases followed by 125 in Chamba, 114 in Shimla and 113 in Hamirpur. In the remaining eight districts, the active cases are below 100. Una 13 active cases, lowest in the state.
