Gurugram reports 72 new Covid-19 infections; total tally to touch 60k

The total number of active Covid-19 cases reached 578 on Saturday, with 72 new infections being reported in the last 24 hours

The total number of active Covid-19 cases reached 578 on Saturday, with 72 new infections being reported in the last 24 hours.

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As per the data of the health department, it is almost after a gap of two months that the count of active cases has reached over 550, thereby underlining the continued spike in daily new infections in the district with the positivity rate touching almost 1.9%. The last time the active caseload hit a high was in mid-January with 590 cases, after which it dipped to a low of 223 on February 20.

At least 498 new infections were confirmed this week, a 32.7% increase in the 335 cases reported the previous week — between February 28 and March 6. With the rise in daily cases, the total tally of Covid-19 cases till now has reached 59,770. The total death count remains at 359, with two Covid-19 deaths being reported this month.

According to the district health department officials, people travelling to others states or countries should follow proper quarantine measures. “Crowded places should be avoided. People should be cautious and follow basic respiratory hygiene and mask discipline. Private labs and hospitals have already been directed to test close contacts of confirmed cases,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer,

He added that testing will be increased to control the transmission of the infection. Currently, 3,137 daily tests are being conducted on an average. On Saturday, at least 2,937 RT-PCR tests and 153 rapid antigen tests were conducted. In the last one year, over 863,797 samples have been tested in Gurugram.

Out of the 578 active cases, at least 533 are in home-isolation and 44 moderate to severely ill patients are undergoing treatment in various private hospitals of the city. Only one patient is admitted at a district Covid care centre.

Vaccination drive

Over 3,960 people took the vaccine shot at 45 private hospitals on Saturday. The health department has administered more than 100,000 doses in the district till now. Data shows that on Saturday, at least 2,897 people above the age of 60 years and 503 people, aged 45 to 59 with existing illness, took the vaccine. At least 551 healthcare workers and nine front-line workers took their second shot.