Covid-19: 20 more die in Punjab; night curfew in Muktsar

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 14

As Covid cases continue to surge, yet another district — Muktsar — was brought under night curfew by the authorities today.

Chief secy holds review meeting

Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan on Sunday held a meeting with deputy commissioners, police chiefs and other officials to review the emergency measures. Mahajan asked the deputy commissioners and civil surgeons to advise the private hospitals falling under their jurisdiction to increase their Covid bed capacity. She said the labs must maintain the testing of around 28,000 to 30,000 samples per day.

As many as 1,501 new cases were reported in Punjab and 20 persons succumbed to the contagion today. Seven deaths were reported in Jalandhar alone, four in Patiala, three in Sangrur, two each in Hoshiarpur and Tarn Taran and one each in Mohali and Kapurthala.

At least three districts — Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala — are nearing the 200 mark in daily cases reported today while Mohali crossed the mark with 211 cases in the past 24 hours. Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar reported 141, 158 and 110 cases, respectively. The total number of active cases in the state now stands at 11,550, with 29 of these being critical and on ventilator support. The total deaths reported to date are 6,072.

In all, 66,478 healthcare and frontline workers have received the second dose of Covid vaccine while 94,267 persons over 60 and over 45 years of age with Covid morbidities have received the first dose of the vaccine.