5 more die of Covid-19 taking toll count to 133 in state
- June 29, 2020
- Updated: 01:29 am
DW BUREAU / chandigarh
Five more people succumbed to coronavirus in Punjab on Sunday as 161 fresh cases surfaced, taking the number of infections to 5,216 and death toll to 133 in the state, a medical bulletin said. One fatality each was reported from Amritsar, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur.
Forty-five cases were detected in Sangrur; 39 in Ludhiana; 19 in Jalandhar; 12 in Amritsar; eight each in Mohali and Gurdaspur; six in Patiala; four each in Pathankot and Fatehgarh Sahib; three each in Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur and Kapurthala; two each in SBS Nagar and Faridkot; and one each in Tarn Taran, Muktsar and Fazilka.
Of them, five had returned from abroad while eight had travel history to other states. As many as 206 coronavirus patients were discharged from various hospitals after they recovered from the infection. A total of 3,526 people have been cured of the infection so far, as per the bulletin. There are 1,557 active cases in the state as of now, the bulletin said.
Amritsar continued to top the COVID-19 tally with 883 cases, followed by 781 in Ludhiana; 704 in Jalandhar; 408 in Sangrur; 281 in Patiala; 250 in Mohali; 216 in Gurdaspur; 209 in Pathankot; 188 in Tarn Taran; 174 in Hoshiarpur; 130 in SBS Nagar; 127 in Muktsar; 110 in Fatehgarh Sahib; 103 in Faridkot; 102 in Rupnagar; 94 in Moga; 93 in Ferozepur; 89 each in Bathinda and Kapurthala; 50 in Barnala; and 44 in Mansa. Seven patients are critical and on ventilator support while 23 are on oxygen support, the bulletin said. A total of 2,89,923 samples have been taken so far for testing, the bulletin said.
A record single-day spike in COVID-19 cases was reported in several states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal as the country-wide tally rose by nearly 20,000 on Sunday. Tightening their containment strategy, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have announced a door-to-door survey joining other states and union territories like Delhi, Goa, Odisha and Jharkhand.
The Union Health Ministry said the number of cases was 5,28,859 on Sunday and recoveries exceeded active COVID cases by over one lakh, stressing that "graded, preemptive and proactive" steps taken by it along with the states and union territories are showing "encouraging results." "Around 58.56 per cent patients have recovered so far," an official said.
With India witnessing a surge of 3,38,324 infections from June 1 as the lockdown restrictions eased, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said people have to remain more vigilant in the "unlock" period and cautioned that failure to follow COVID-19 norms will put at risk their lives and those of others. India will have to focus on defeating coronavirus and bolstering the economy, he said.
"Always remember, if you do not wear a mask, do not observe the two-yard social distancing norms or do not take other precautions, you are putting others at risk besides yourselves, especially the elderly and children at home," he said in his monthly "Mann ki Baat" radio address. Speaking in the same vein, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made it clear that the restrictions will continue even after June 30 as the crisis is not yet over.
"Even if I am not using the term lockdown, do not misunderstand and lower your guard. In fact, we need to show more stringent discipline," he said. "We can't leave this war halfway in this final phase. I am sure that you will continue to cooperate with the government to ensure that lockdown is not reimposed," he said in a televised address. The unlock process, dubbed Mission Begin Again by the state government, is being gradually implemented.
(editor@dailyworld.in)