4 health workers among 21 new cases

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 5

After a record 79 Covid cases in Haryana yesterday, the state on Tuesday reported 21 new cases taking the state’s tally to 537.

With the addition of 14 Italian tourists, who were discharged after treatment, Haryana’s tally will be 551.

Eight cases were reported from Jhajjar, five from Sonepat, three from Panipat, two from Yamunanagar and one each from Rohtak, Faridabad and Karnal. With this, total patients in Jhajjar jumped to 64. Six of the fresh cases are linked to the vegetable market in Bahadurgarh, while two are family members of a migratory labourer working at Sultanpuri in Delhi.

In Sonepat district, four more Health Department officials — a nurse and three Class IV employees — working at BPS Government Women Medical College, Khanpur Kalan, tested positive. Civil Surgeon BK Rajaura said the total cases in the district had risen to 78, of which nine were health workers. The fifth patient is Jati village resident.

He said the process to replace employees working in isolation wards and keep relieved staff in quarantine had begun. New members of the staff had been directed to use PPE kits while entering the isolation ward.

In Panipat, three more cases were reported. A labourer (17) working in the vegetable market and a 22-year-old close contact of a positive woman were among those infected. A labourer of the grain market tested positive on Monday night. He ran away from Panipat after his samples were collected on Saturday, but was caught in Jaipur. Civil Surgeon Dr SL Verma said he had been isolated in a Jaipur hospital.

Yamunanagar reported two more cases. A resident of Kutipur village of Pratap Nagar block and a woman (35) of Sarojini Colony were found positive. The 61-year-old man was referred to PGI, Chandigarh, from the CHC for treatment of multiple diseases. With five active cases, the number of cases has reached eight in the district.

A 45-year-old man of Atayal village in Rohtak district working as a driver with Delhi Transport Corporation has tested positive and admitted to PGIMS-Rohtak. He had been deployed at a BSF camp in the National Capital’s Jama Masjid area. The district administration has declared Atayal village as containment zone and put five surrounding villages – Dattaur, Naunand, Gandhra, Kasrenti and Pakasma — in buffer zone

In Karnal, an 18-year-old from Uttam Nagar tested positive. With this, the number of active cases in the district has reached three. As per protocol, the authorities have declared Uttam Nagar a containment zone. Health screening of residents and sanitisation of the colony has been done.

Karnal DC Nishant Kumar Yadav said the youth returned from Delhi on Monday and his sample was collected soon after. “We’ve kept his family members in the isolation ward and the contacts of the persons are being determined.”

In Faridabad, a 33-year-old woman from Greenfields Colony tested positive. She had a history of travel to Delhi. She has been hospitalised and contact-tracing is on.