E-Paper
Ludhiana sees no new Covid case after more than a year
When the second wave of the contagion had peaked in district in May this year, the daily case count had hit the all-time high of 1,729 on May 9 and a record 30 deaths were registered twice, on May 10 and 11
It was on May 27, 2020, when Ludhiana had seen no new case of Covid-19 ever since the pandemic began. On Tuesday, the feat was achieved again after more than a year, when the district added no fresh patient to its tally.
Only one person each had tested positive for the viral disease on August 9 and August 23, which was the lowest count reported since August 1, 2020, when the health department began maintaining the list of daily Covid cases.
During the peak of the first wave, 438 fresh cases were reported in the district on September 15. As the first wave subsided, the least number of cases the district had logged was five on November 11.
When the second wave of the contagion had peaked in Ludhiana in May this year, the daily case count had hit the all-time high of 1,729 on May 9 and a record 30 deaths were registered twice, on May 10 and 11.
The district had registered 29,529 cases and 624 deaths in May, highest since the pandemic started last year, leaving the health infrastructure crumbling.
However, the situation started improving with the imposition of stricter curbs and restriction on public movement.
Compared to May, June accounted for 2,849 infections and 87 casualties. While only 334 cases and five deaths surfaced in July, 159 cases and three deaths have been reported till August 24, lowest in 16 months.
The elusive zero
District epidemiologist Dr Ramesh Bhagat said it was satisfying to hit the elusive number zero. “I have been waiting for this day since March 24, 2020, when the first case was reported in the district. Since then, we have been striving to bring down the cases to zero. I want to congratulate the health department, administration, police and especially the people of Ludhiana for helping in reaching this point,” he added.
Experts caution against complacency
Despite the respite from the worrisome numbers, health experts have cautioned that no Covid case doesn’t mean no responsibility.
Civil surgeon Dr Kiran Ahluwalia said, “Zero case does not mean that coronavirus has vanished. The residents must continue to adhere to safety protocols and also get vaccinated at the earliest. Only by following simple rules of wearing masks, sanitising hands and maintaining social distance that this virus could be defeated.”
Dr Bishav Mohan, member of the Punjab Covid task force, said, “We have achieved a milestone but at the same time, we can’t lower our guards. It is important that more and more people get vaccinated and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. People should come forward to get tested if symptoms appear as the virus is still deadly. Timely response can save lives.”
No patient admitted in hospital
Currently, no Covid patient from Ludhiana is undergoing treatment at any government or private hospital in the district. There are 35 active cases in the district and all of those are under home isolation.
The health department has collected 8,695 samples on Tuesday. While the total number of positive cases in the district stands at 87,457, as many as 85,326 patients have recovered.
Five fresh infections take district’s dengue count to 23
Five more people were found suffering from dengue on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 23.
There are 430 suspected patients, who had been suffering from dengue-like symptoms.
According to district epidemiologist Dr Ramesh Bhagat, as many as 21 cases of the vector-borne disease were reported from the urban areas, while one case each was reported from Sidhwan Bet and Jagraon.
He said that majority of the cases were reported from Kailash Chowk, Bhamia Road, Chander Nagar, Janata Nagar, Model Town, Basti Jodhewal, Rani Jhansi Road, Ferozepur Road, Ashapuri and Civil Lines areas.
He said that 20 residents from other districts have also tested positive of dengue.
