Covid-19: Worst spike of 29 cases in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: The city on Monday reported its highest single-day surge of 29 Covid-19 cases since March 19, when the first case was confirmed.
The positivity rate which had dropped last month has risen to 7% due to the spike in July. The rise indicates low testing while positive cases are rising. In less than two weeks, 148 cases have emerged. The infection rate has grown by an average of 2% every day, which had reduced to 1% last month. The positivity rate was 6% in April and May and had declined to 5% last month.
“The positivity rate of more than 2% is taken as high. Also, with 7% rate of positivity implies that it requires 14 samples to test a positive. This was around 16 to 18 samples in the previous months,” said a data scientist.
Among those detected positive were four different families of seven people from Manimajra and six residents from Sector 45. Besides these, the patients included six from Sector 32, two from Sector 52, three family members from Sector 50, two family members from Sector 21, one each from Ram Darbar, Dhanas and Sector 46. The youngest is a 6-year-old boy from Sector 50, while the oldest is 68-year-old man from Sector 45. Meanwhile, six residents were discharged from Sood Dharamshala, PGI and Command hospital.
The active count is 157, while the total is to 588, including eight deaths. As many as 423 have been cured and discharged till date.
Virus invades PGI campus
The PGI campus is seeing cases which were initially confined to the hospital. Recently, a senior resident in PGI contracted the virus from his staff member. The family of the doctor is quarantined. Also, there was a marriage function in the campus, where a junior engineer contracted the virus. The office of the engineering department in the School for Public Health building has been sealed.