With Mahakumbh nearing, Uttarakhand reports highest daily Covid-19 cases this year

The surge has been reported at a time when the state government has issued notification for the one- month long Mahakumbh fair in Haridwar which will begin on April 1.

Published on: Mar 28, 2021, 23:31:43 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Uttarakhand on Sunday reported 366 new Covid-19 cases, the highest number of daily cases this year so far. Previously, the highest number of single-day cases was registered on January 1, 2021, when the state had reported 361 cases.

File photo: A health worker collecting a swab sample from a woman for Covid-19 testing. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

The fresh cases have taken the state’s tally of total cases to 99,881. Given the state had reported 27 fresh cases on March 1, this is a significant surge in Covid-19 infections in the state just within a month.

The surge has been reported at a time when the state government has issued notification for the one- month long Mahakumbh fair in Haridwar. The mega event will begin on April 1 and nearly 3-5 crore pilgrims are expected to attend the religious fair. There are serious concerns that Mahakumbh can emerge as a Covid-19 super-spreader.

Out of 99,881 who have tested positive for Covid-19 so far in the state, a total of 95,025 have recovered successfully, taking the recovery rate in the state to 95.146 per cent. The positivity rate in the state now stands at 3.68.05 per cent while the case fatality rate stands at 1.71 per cent.

Also read: ‘Covid under control’ - Uttarakhand govt as virus cluster emerges in Rishikesh

There are 1,660 active cases in the state now, including 494 in Haridwar district. So far, 1,709 Covid-19 positive people have died in the state. On Sunday, however, there was no Covid-19 death reported in the state.

On Sunday, 42 Covid-19 positive people recovered and were discharged from hospitals in different districts of the state with a maximum, 40, from Dehradun district.

According to the state health bulletin issued on Sunday, a maximum of 167 cases were reported from Dehradun district, followed by 59 fresh cases in Haridwar and 54 in Tehri Garhwal district. Chamoli and Champawat districts didn’t report any fresh case on Sunday.

Dehradun district has so far reported the maximum number of Covid-19 positive cases (30,823), followed by Haridwar (14,947), Nainital (13,107) and US Nagar (11,749).

The state health department has so far tested 27.14 lakh people of which results of over 6,300 are pending. However, despite a surge in cases, on Sunday, only 7,627 samples from across the 13 districts were sent for testing, including 2,791 from Haridwar district.

Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Dehradun-based think tank called Social Development for Communities, who has been analysing Covid-19 data in the hill state, said, 366 cases in a day is the highest so far this year.

“The rising cases in the state is a matter of serious concern “In the past one week ending March 27, the state has reported over 1000 active cases after seven weeks and 1,000 plus positive cases after nine weeks. There is a need to increase testing and become more cautious given the surge in Covid-19 cases again. Samples sent for testing on Sunday were just over 7,600. This has to change and testing has to be increased manifold,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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