The Congress MLA from Tarn Taran, Dr Dharambir Agnihotri, was among the new positive cases. (Representational)

The number of people testing positive for novel coronavirus in Punjab breached 10,000 mark on Sunday with 310 new cases, driving up the total tally to 10,100.  Eight more deaths were reported from the state, taking the total death count due to COVID-19 to 254.

The Congress MLA from Tarn Taran, Dr Dharambir Agnihotri, was among the new positive cases. Earlier, Congress MLA from Fatehgarh Churian and Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and party MLA from Phagwara Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal had tested positive.

The deaths were reported from Ludhiana (a woman aged 72 and three men aged 41, 50 and 55), Hoshiarpur (men aged 68 and 71), Mohali (21-year-old man) and Amritsar (60-year-old man). Twenty-one of the total 22 districts in the state reported new positive cases.

Maximum cases were reported from Ludhiana (76). Punjab BJP treasurer Gurdev Sharma Debi tested positive in Ludhiana.

He had unsuccessfully contested 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections from Ludhiana Central. Debi had not been keeping well for the past one week and tested positive for infection on Saturday evening. On Sunday, following a communication by state BJP chief Ashwani Kumar Sharma, the party cancelled all its programmes till July 31. Ludhiana district unit BJP president Pushpinder Singal said, “Organisational level work will continue but any event which will involve five or more persons will not be organised.”

A 50-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), posted as gunman with IPS officer Harsh Kumar Bansal, too tested positive in Ludhiana. The gunman had been at his home in Ludhiana since April and wasn’t in touch with the officer who is on central deputation in Delhi.

Jalandhar district reported 60 new cases, Patiala 40 and Amritsar 28. The other districts which reported fresh cases were Mohali (25), Ferozepur (13), Sangrur (12), Pathankot, Nawanshahr and Tarn Taran (seven each), Fatehgarh Sahib, Moga and Fazilka (five each), Mansa, Kapurthala and Faridkot (four each), Gurdaspur (three), Muktsar (two) and Hoshiarpur, Barnala and Ropar (one each).

A 49-year-old ASI posted at SSP office in Moga tested positive. Two employees of Deputy Commissioner (DC) office, Kapurthala, were among three persons testing positive in Kapurthala district. These comprised superintendent of ADC (D) office and one gunman of ADC (D).

As per the official media bulletin, 6,535 patients have been discharged and there are 3,311 active cases, 63 of them on oxygen support and 10 on ventilator support. Amritsar has reported maximum COVID-19 deaths (64), followed by Ludhiana (46) and Jalandhar with (33). Ludhiana has reported maximum cases of infection (1,843), followed by Jalandhar (1,676) and Amritsar (1,253).