Punjab reports 55 new coronavirus cases, records 2 more deaths

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 8

Punjab reported 55 new coronavirus cases and reported two deaths on Monday—developments that take the state’s death toll to 53 from 2,663 COVID-19 infections.

The state revised its death tally to 53, taking into account two more deaths—one each from Amritsar and Patiala.

Amritsar reported three deaths on Monday, but Monday’s official state tally only recorded one.

An eight-month-old baby was among Amritsar’s three coronavirus deaths on Monday, officials said—a development that comes as the district’s COVID-19 tally inches closer to 500.

The baby was from Amritsar’s Gopalpura Manjwind village and was admitted to Government Medical College in critical condition. The baby is the district’s youngest casualty to COVID-19.

The other fatalities were both elderly, ages 60 and 78.  District health authorities said both patients suffered from existing health conditions such as diabetes and heart problems.

When the other two deaths are recorded, Amritsar’s death toll will stand at 11, surpassing Ludhiana’s numbers.

In Patiala, a 46-year-old man from Nabha died at Government Rajindra Hospital on Sunday afternoon from coronavirus. His test results came back positive after his death, officials said.  An employee of Hindustan Unilever Limited, he was admitted to the hospital on Saturday.

Jalandhar (14), Amritsar (12), Ludhiana (9), Patiala (5), Pathankot (3),  SBS Nagar (3), Faridkot (2), SAS Nagar (2), Sangrur (2), Fazilka (1), Gurdaspur (1), and Moga (1) accounted for Punjab’s 55 new cases on Monday, the state’s COVID bulletin showed.

Six of Jalandhar’s 14 new cases were contacts of already diagnosed cases. The bulletin classified the others as new cases.

The new development takes Jalandhar’s COVID-19 numbers past 300.

In Amritsar, seven were classified as ILI (influenza-like illness), four were contacts of positive cases and the last was a person who had just returned from abroad.

All five of Patiala’s cases had recent domestic travel record.

Two of Pathankot’s three were classified as ILI and the third was a self-reported case. In SBS Nagar, two were new cases and one had recently returned from abroad.

Faridkot, Sangrur, and SAS Nagar had contacts of already diagnosed patients testing positive.

A Border Security Force personnel tested positive in Fazilka.  Moga’s lone case was a person who recently returned from abroad.

The district-wise breakup for COVID-19 in Punjab stands as follows: Amritsar (481), Jalandhar (307), Ludhiana (251), Tarn Taran (159), Gurdaspur (152), Hoshiarpur (135), Patiala (138), SAS Nagar (128), SBS Nagar (109), Sangrur (111), Pathankot (91), Ropar (71), Muktsar (70), Faridkot (74), Fatehgarh Sahib (70), Moga (67), Bathinda (55), Fazilka (48), Ferozepur (46),  Kapurthala (40), Mansa (34), and Barnala (26).  

The state’s death toll stands thus: Ludhiana (10), Amritsar (9), Jalandhar (8), Hoshiarpur (5), Pathankot (4), Gurdaspur (3), SAS Nagar (3), Kapurthala (3), Patiala (2), Tarn Taran (1), SBS Nagar (1), Ferozepur (1), Ropar (1), and Barnala (1).

Amritsar still has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Punjab. Amritsar and Jalandhar together account for over 29 per cent of the state’s cases.

Two people are on ventilator support in Amritsar.

Punjab has 482 active cases currently, the bulletin shows. Some 22 people recovered on Monday.