Alarm over huge spurt in cases in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 30

The situation seems to be spinning out of control in Punjab as the state reported 105 fresh cases today. A total of 82 of these cases are those who had recently entered the state either from Hazur Sahib or Kota. It is the highest number reported in a single day ever since the first case was reported on March 5.

As per the state media bulletin, the total count has reached 480 now. The fresh cases include 34 from Ludhiana, 28 from Amritsar, 13 from SAS Nagar, seven from Tarn Taran, six from Kapurthala, three each from Muktsar, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, two each from Sangrur and Ropar and one each from SBS Nagar, Ferozepur, Patiala and Moga.

Ludhiana district witnessed the highest number of cases today. Of the total cases, 23 are pilgrims who returned from Hazur Sahib. A total of 41 pilgrims who returned from Nanded have tested positive in the district so far. The first batch was sent home and then called back and was quarantined.

Amritsar district also witnessed the highest number of cases in a single day as 23 fresh cases were reported. With this, the positive patient count in the district has increased to 37 from 14.

District officials said all new positive cases had returned from Hazur Sahib and were quarantined at different isolation centres. The district has so far received around 600 persons who were stranded at different places outside Punjab due to the lockdown.

In Tarn Taran, with seven new positive cases today, the Covid count has doubled and reached 15. Sursingh village in the district has emerged as a major hotspot and has reported a total of seven cases so far.

With three fresh cases, the total number of cases in Jalandhar has reached 89. The three persons include a 45-year-old resident of Bakkarpur village in Phillaur who returned from Nanded, a 30 year-old man from Qazi Mohalla and a 32-year-old man from Sant Nagar, a contact of the man who had previously tested positive from Sant Nagar.

After a gap of 25 days, Ropar again witnessed two fresh cases. Both persons had returned from Nanded on April 26. They are admitted in the isolation ward of the local Civil Hospital.

As per the Health Department, so far, samples of 21,205 suspected cases were sent for testing. Of them, 17,826 samples were found negative and reports of 3,439 were awaited.