24 test positive for Covid-19 in Himachal; state’s count climbs to 445

The new cases include the owner of Orison Pharmaceutical International, his son and wife, the chief executive officer and three employees .

Twenty-four people tested positive for Covid-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday taking the state’s tally to 445.

Representative Image/Reuters

Eight cases were reported from Sirmaur, six from Kangra, five from Una, two from Bilaspur and one each from Hamirpur and Mandi.

EIGHT TEST POSITIVE IN PHARMA UNIT AT KALA AMB

Eight cases have been reported at a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit located in Kala Amb of Sirmaur.

They include owner of Orison Pharmaceutical International, his son and wife, the chief executive officer and three employees.

Siramur deputy commissioner RK Pruthi said 41 samples were sent for testing to the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, on Monday, of which 33 tested negative.

Pruthi said seven out of eight patients were in Haryana and the Sirmaur administration had informed the authorities of the state.

The patient who is in Himachal has been shifted to a Covid-care centre. The pharma unit was sealed after one of its employees tested positive for Covid-19 on June 5.

Six cases have been reported in Kangra, the most populous district of the state. Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati said that among the patients is a 31year-old man who returned from Delhi. Other 25-yearold man travelled back from Ludhiana. The third patient a 29-year-old man came from Chandigarh.

Apart from it, three more Delhi returned men aged 51, 41 and 40 have tested positive, said Prajapati adding that all were under institutional quarantine.

Five cases were reported from Una late evening.

One case each has been reported from Mandi and Hamirpur.

184 ACTIVE CASES

So far, Himachal has recorded 437 cases of which 245 have recovered while five, including three men and two women, have succumbed to the disease. Eleven patients have migrated to other states.

There are 184 active cases in the state. Twenty-one patients recovered today and the overall recovery rate is around 50%.

The second wave of Covid-19 cases hit Himachal on May 4. Since then, 405 people have tested positive for the virus. As many as 115 cases have been recorded in June month.

So far, eleven of the total twelve districts in the state are affected by Covid-19. The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti is the only Covid-free district.

Hamirpur is the worst-hit district with 124 cases followed by Kangra with 115 cases. A total of 54 cases have been reported in Una, 34 in Solan, 32 in Chamba, 24 in Bilaspur, 22 in Mandi, 20 in Sirmaur 13 in Shimla, four in Kullu and two in Kinnaur.