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No Covid death in Mohali after 84 days, Chandigarh cases down to lowest in 120 days
Health experts caution that the worst is not over, and minimising the consequences of the third wave is dependent on vaccination and following safety protocol
The long-awaited milestone of zero Covid-19 deaths arrived in Mohali on Saturday, even as Chandigarh also recorded its lowest cases in 120 days, with just 23 people testing positive.
Worst-hit by the pandemic in the tricity, Mohali has seen a swift downturn in fatalities in June after a deadly May that claimed 373 lives, highest since the pandemic broke out last year and accounting for 36% of the 1,037 fatalities so far.
Since hitting the peak of 20 on May 20, the district’s casualties started declining, falling below 10 on May 24 and staying so ever since, until no death was reported on Saturday.
While it was a milestone the district was awaiting after tiding over the devastating second wave, health authorities have warned that zero deaths don’t mean zero caution. Further, the easing of lockdown restrictions may also spur another spike in infections with increased public movement, as more people were streaming into public places like malls and markets.
“With the decline in numbers, there also comes a greater need to strictly adhere to safety protocols so they continue to remain low. Vaccination is also crucial to check the severity of disease. Those still not inoculated should come forward,” said Dr Adarshpal Kaur, civil surgeon, Mohali, adding that from June 21, anyone over the age of 18 could walk into any government facility offering vaccination and get registered on the spot for the jab. A similar drive will begin in Chandigarh on the same day.
PGIMER Dr Jagat Ram also cautioned that not following Covid-appropriate behaviour will lead to a third wave as the pandemic was still not over.
“The daily cases and deaths are coming down in the tricity as well as across the country. This is a positive sign, but if people don’t adhere to safety protocols, the third wave may arrive in six to eight weeks, with another surge in September. However, since vaccination is underway, and many people have developed antibodies after recovering from Covid, the magnitude of the third wave is expected to be low,” he added.
“Also, all age groups will be equally vulnerable to getting infected in the third wave. Hospitals are advised to arrange oxygen supply and check functionality of life support systems, which will help control the death rate in the third wave,” Dr Ram said.
Tricity’s cases drop to 55, three dead
In a new low since the second wave, the tricity logged only 55 Covid cases, a first since 50 cases on February 21, and three deaths, a number it had last recorded on April 12.
Apart from Chandigarh’s 23 cases, lowest since February 21, 28 people were found positive in Mohali and four in Panchkula.
Among those who died, two were from Chandigarh, a 91-year-old man from Sector 8 and a 52-year-old man from Manimajra, and one from Panchkula.
Tricity’s active cases also dropped to 1,000 against the all-time high of 24,201 on May 12. A total of 489 people are still infected in Mohali, 396 in Chandigarh and 115 in Panchkula. The daily positivity rate also came down to less than 2% across the tricity – lowest in Panchkula at 0.5%.
During the peak of the pandemic last month, tricity had clocked a record 2,612 cases on May 10 and 38 deaths on May 5.
