Positivity rate in Panchkula district 8.45%

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, January 5

At a worrying positivity rate of 8.45 per cent, the district reported 171 fresh Covid-19 cases today.

As many as 358 cases and one death have been reported this month so far. The only relief for health officials in the district is low hospitalisation. From 16 hospitalised patients of the total 86 active cases on December 31, the number has only gone up to 26 despite the active caseload shooting up to 372.

Dr Rajeev Narwal, district Covid nodal officer, said, “We are well-prepared to deal with the rising Covid numbers. Not only is hospitalisation relatively low this time, we have better health infrastructure to deal with the pandemic. We have enough Covid beds, including those with ventilator support, and medical oxygen to meet the requirement.”

During the second wave, the Civil Hospital and private hospitals grappled with a lack of liquid oxygen supply due to a sharp rise in the demand.

The Civil Hospital in Sector 6 had, earlier this year, increased its liquid medical oxygen storage capacity to 16 kl to strengthen its preparedness for a possible third wave of Covid and reserve the supply of life-saving gas for indoor patients. An oxygen plant with a capacity of 300 litres per minute was also made functional at the Civil Hospital after the infirmary faced medical emergency due to a delay in the arrival of an oxygen tanker from Roorkee during the second wave in May last year.

The unit, installed by Absstem Technologies, can ensure supply of uninterrupted oxygen to 30 beds 24×7.

As eight health workers tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, the district Health Department has decided to begin a special challaning drive for those not wearing masks and violating Covid guidelines in the Civil Hospital in Sector 6.

“A majority of the visitors to the Civil Hospital do not wear masks and follow the Covid guidelines. We have decided to deploy police teams to tackle the Covid menace,” Dr Narwal said.

Covid care centre yet to be made operational

Meanwhile, the only notified Covid care centre in the district — “Jatayu Yatrika”, a tourist resort near Mata Mansa Devi Complex – is yet to be made operational.

According to senior officials, the facility will be started soon after the remaining arrangements are completed. More such centres would come up, if required, they added. Covid care centres across the district were shut earlier this year after the number of cases started declining.

Testing up, but not impressive

Though testing numbers have gone up in the district, the average daily sampling rate for this month so far is still below 1,500. The Deputy Commissioner had recently asked the local Health Department to increase testing in view of the rise in the number of Covid cases.