Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported six deaths owing to COVID-19, taking the total to 156, the Directorate of Health Services said.
Three persons died in Ujjain, two in Indore and one in Khandwa. The fatality rate in Ujjain, which has registered 156 cases and 30 deaths so far, climbed to 19.2%. The State-wide rate touched 5.5%, according to a bulletin issued by the Directorate.
Forty-nine fresh cases were reported. The tally now stands at 2,837. One hundred and seventy-four patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery. As many as 798 persons, or 28% of those testing positive, had recovered.
Till Sunday, around 17 samples were tested before a positive case was discovered. The test positivity rate came down to 5.8%. The State has conducted 590 tests per million so far.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in an address to the people, said that even he couldn’t reach the worst-hit cities owing to the lockdown. “I am bound by the lockdown, and even the party has instructed me not to go there now. But my soul is with the people,” he said.
Mr. Chouhan said the situation in the State was more or less under control. “The fatality rate is declining as is the positivity rate, but the crisis is not over yet. It is important to be attentive. If we are to win over it completely, we have to be disciplined and stick to the law,” he said.
At a review meeting, I.C.P. Keshari, Additional Chief Secretary, Commercial Tax Department, and in-charge of the State Control Room, said around 4,000 workers were brought back from Gujarat on Sunday. Around 42,000 workers trapped in different districts of the State were transported to their native places in the past 8 days.
So far, 59,000 workers have been brought back to the State.