No respite: 18 more Covid-19 cases take Amritsar tally to 1,033

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 7

The district reported 18 fresh cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of positive cases to 1,033.

Of the new cases, 13 are ILI (influenza-like illness) cases while the remaining five are contacts of positive patients. Of the five contacts of positive cases, one each was reported from Shahid Udham Singh Nagar and Basant Avenue, besides three were contacts of a DSP of the rural police, who tested positive two days ago.

Two ILI cases were reported from Ram Nagar and one each from Mohan Nagar, Lahori Gate, Sawan Nagar, Katra Sher Singh, Krishna Nagar, Baba Bakala, Berna Sahib Gurdwara, Railway Colony, Preet Nagar and Pulighar areas.

At present, the district has 206 active cases, out of which 158 are admitted in hospitals and 48 in home isolation. So far, the district has witnessed 48 deaths due to the coronavirus and 827 recoveries.

Meanwhile, District and Sessions Judge Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who is also the Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), launched an awareness campaign in association with the Sewa Sankalap, an NGO.

Judicial officers carrying placards and raising slogans also attended the event. Balwinder Singh Sandhu said awareness regarding precautions could help check the spread of the disease. He said prevention was the only way to avoid the disease as a vaccine to control the virus could not be developed so far.

He appealed to the general public to wear mask while coming out of their homes and avoid spitting in public places. He said the NGO had done a commendable job in creating awareness and now the District Legal Services Authority and the Bar association would help in the regard.

SGRD varsity offers Covid test for Rs3,500

Amritsar: In yet another initiative by the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences, a diagnostic test for Rs 3,500 has been announced by it to provide a cost-effective treatment to Covid-19 patients. The government had earlier capped the test charges at Rs 4,500. The university had also fixed Rs 50,000 as weekly charges for Covid-19 patients admitted to the hospital. With many private hospitals charging around Rs40-50 thousand per day, the move has received accolades from the public. The university has set up a molecular diagnostic laboratory for testing Covid-19, which was inaugurated by Bhai Gobind Singh Longowal, president, SGPC on Tuesday. The lab is ICMR and NABL approved and is equipped with thermo-fisher RT-PCR machine. Dr Daljit Singh, Vice-Chancellor, said, people could apply online for the test and would be issued an e-pass accordingly. He added that doctor’s prescription was mandatory for the test. Dr AP Singh, Dean Academics, said this diagnostic test would detect genetic material of the SARS-COV-2 virus using an RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs. He said the university was also mulling over beginning an antigen testing, which is less time consuming and its report would also be available within half an hour.

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