The count of coronavirus cases reached 46 in Punjab on Wednesday with five more persons, including a Padma Shri awardee former “raagi”, testing positive for the disease.
Three fresh cases have been reported from Mohali district and one each from Ludhiana and Amritsar, a state government’s media bulletin said.
In Mohali, two persons were infected after they came in contact with a Chandigarh couple from Canada who had tested positive earlier. A 45-year-old man, a resident of Jagatpura in Mohali, was infected after he came in contact with another coronavirus patient.
A 72-year-old woman from Ludhiana residing in the neighbourhood of a 42-year-old coronavirus positive patient, who died in a Patiala hospital on Monday, tested positive.
In Amritsar, Padma Shri awardee and a former “hazoori ragi” of the Golden Temple, has been tested positive for the virus, Amritsar civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said.
The 67-year-old “ragi” was referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) from Shri Guru Ram Das Hospital on March 30 after he showed Covid-19 symptoms. “He visited England in November. A health department team visited his house on March 3 after we got the information that two guests – his uncle and aunt -- from the US visited him. They were found asymptomatic. When the home quarantine period of the guests was over on March 17, they were found asymptomatic. The ragi then went to Chandigarh for a kirtan samagam on March 19 where over 100 people were gathered,” said Dr Johal.
“A team of doctors checked him on March 20 but he showed no symptoms of the virus. A few days later, he went to Shri Guru Ram Das Hospital for routine check-up and was referred to GNDH on March 30 after he complained of breathlessness. He may have got infected in his trip to Chandigarh. We are working to trace his contacts,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“A team of doctors checked him on March 20 but he showed no symptoms of the virus. A few days later, he went to Shri Guru Ram Das Hospital for routine check-up and was referred to GNDH on March 30 after he complained of breathlessness. He may have got infected in his trip to Chandigarh. We are working to trace his contacts,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}11 CLOSE CONTACTS ISOLATED
The health department has isolated 11 close contacts of the ragi. “Singh’s two daughters, a son, driver, two sewadars, wife, two accomplices and his uncle and aunt, who returned from the US, have been isolated at the GNDH. Their samples will be tested soon”, Dr Johal said.
Four doctors of Government Medical College, Amritsar, who attended to the coronavirus positive patient at GNDH, have been quarantined at the college hostel.
72-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOUR OF LUDHIANA’S CASUALTY TESTS +VE
A 72-year-old woman living in the neighbourhood of Puja Rani, 42, the first Covid-19 casualty of Ludhiana, has tested positive for coronavirus.
The elderly woman, Surinder Kaur, lives near Puja’s house and is learnt to have met her frequently over the past few days. She was admitted to the isolation at the local civil hospital on Tuesday night.
Deputy commissioner Pradeep Agrawal said that Puja’s daughter has tested negative.
Puja died early on Monday and her test reports that arrived later confirmed that she was suffering from Covid-19.
Forty-three of her direct contacts were kept in isolation but their samples have tested negative.
The elderly woman’s condition is stated to be stable.
According to area councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu the elderly woman has no travel history.
Ludhiana senior medical officer has sought an explanation from three medical officers and eight members of the nursing staff that why Puja was referred to the ESI hospital. In a letter, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, Dr Ravi Datt has said the woman arrived at civil hospital from where she was referred to ESI hospital near Bharat Nahar Chowk from where she was again sent back to the civil hospital.
She was then referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. The letter reads that the woman was a referred despite government’s directions which state that such patients should be treated in government facility on priority basis.