Punjab reports two more coronavirus deaths, 175 new cases

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 5

Punjab reported two more fatalities to coronavirus, and 175 new cases, a medical bulletin showed---developments that take the state’s COVID-19 tally to 6,283 after 164 new deaths.

Patiala and Tarn Taran each reported a death.

Ludhiana reported 70 of the 175 new cases---the highest of any district in Punjab.

 Patalia (26), Mohali (16), Ferozepur (11), Amritsar (10), Faridkot (8), Jalandhar (7), Sangrur (6), Gurdaspur (5), Bathinda (4), Moga (4), Pathankot (4), and Tarn Taran (1), Fatehgarh Sahib (1), Fazilka (1) and Mansa (1) all reported new cases.

Ludhiana's numbers inlcuded 26 inmates of Ludhiana Central Jail, a policeman and four health workers.

This, in addition to the five inmates who had tested positive on Friday, takes the number of positive cases in the jail to 31.

Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said all 31 inmates were asymptotic.

 “Earlier they were tested at Borstal jail on June 9 and all tested negative. A second test conducted when they were moved to the central jail came back positive. A total of 32 were tested, out of which 26 have tested positive,” he said of Sunday’s development.

The growing number of cases in the jail has sparked concerns about the formation of a new cluster.

“Borstal jail is the special COVID quarantine jail where those arrested in various cases from all the districts in the state are sent for screening. The accused are kept here under quarantine for 14 days and after the quarantine period is over they are sent to their respective districts if they test negative,” Kulwant Singh, superintendent of special COVID jail in Ludhiana, said.

Central Jail Superintendent Rajiv Arora said the inmates have been kept in the separate barracks in the central jail.

“Proper distancing is being maintained so that others do not contract the virus,” he said.

Special COVID jails have been established at Ludhiana, Barnala, Bathinda and Patti. Ludhiana’s COVID jail is Borstal jail. All the old inmates of Borstal jail were moved to Faridkot in May.

Apart from the two deaths reported in the media bulletin, a 66-year-old woman from Muktsar town died at a private hospital in Ludhiana today days after she tested positive. She had come to the hospital a few days ago with complaints of a cardiac problem, doctors said.  

This would be Muktsar’s first coronavirus death once this is included in the state tally.

On Sunday, 102 coronavirus patients were discharged from various hospitals after recovering from the infection.

There are 1,711 active cases in the state while 4,408 people have been cured of the infection so far, the bulletin said.

Ludhiana now has the highest number of coronavirus cases, surpassing Amritsar.

The district-wise breakup of COVID-19 is as follows: Ludhiana (1,079) Amritsar  (957), Jalandhar (841), Sangrur (535), Patiala  (379), in Mohali (302), Gurdaspur  (249), Pathankot (228), Tarn Taran (207), Hoshiarpur ( 186), SBS Nagar (148), Muktsar  (133), Fatehgarh Sahib (123), Moga (121), Ferozepur (119), Faridkot (119), Rupnagar (114), Bathinda (110), Kapurthala (109), Fazilka (103), Barnala (71) and Mansa (50).

Twenty of Punjab’s 22 districts now have over 100 cases.

Three patients are critical and are on ventilator support, while 26 are on oxygen support, it said.

A total of 3,37,789 samples have been collected so far for testing, it added. With agencies

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