Community spread scare in Jalandhar

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

The last 24 hours have once again proved worrisome for the state with 24 new cases being reported, taking the tally to 130. In all, 20 cases were reported yesterday, which means of the total cases so far, around 35 per cent have surfaced in the last two days in the state.

Besides, one death was reported from Barnala. As per the state’s media bulletin, seven cases have been reported from SAS Nagar, six from Mansa, four each from Ludhiana and Jalandhar and one each from Muktsar, Barnala and Sangrur.

Mansa district, from where the first case of Covid-19 was reported recently, today reported six more confirmed cases thereby taking the total count of infected patients to 11 in the district. All new cases were in contact of the five already tested positive persons in the district. The district police have sealed the residential areas where the positive cases were found.

Apart from this, three fresh cases were reported in Jalandhar district. The bigger worry for the district is that at least four of the total five new cases in the past 48 hours are totally unconnected to each other, indicating community spread in the district. With health authorities confirming there was neither any travel history nor any positive contact of these new cases as yet, this might be an indication of community breakout in the city.

The three new patients reported today are a 65-year-old woman, a resident of Bhairon Bazar, a 42-year-old woman, a resident of Purani Sabzi Mandi and a 53-year-old man from Maqsudan. The man from Maqsudan was serving as a technician at Sacred Hospital in Jalandhar. A containment plan has been implemented at the hospital.

Meanwhile, four new cases tested positive in Ludhiana district today. It includes the son of a deceased patient, who was the first to die in Ludhiana due to Covid-19. Meanwhile, another 24-year-old man, who was involved in a theft case, tested positive. The third positive case is of a 15-year-old nephew of a positive patient who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi. The fourth positive case is from Ramgarh village, Jagraon, who also took part in the Tablighi Jamaat gathering.

In Sangrur, the first case was reported as a 65-year-old resident of Gagadpur village has tested positive. The patient had travelled by air from New Delhi on March 24. He was asymptomatic, but his report has come positive. He had been under quarantine at his house. Besides, a 52-year-old woman from a village in Barnala district who was admitted at Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana, and later died yesterday, was also Covid-19 positive.

As per the department, so far, samples of 3,192 suspected cases were sent for testing. Of them, 2,777 samples were found negative and reports of 285 were awaited.

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