Covid-19: Punjab logs record 106 deaths in a single day

CHANDIGARH: Punjab on Wednesday recorded 106 deaths on Wednesday — highest number of deaths due to Covid-19 in a single day. The death toll due to novel coronavirus in the state is 1,618 now.
Punjab’s fatality rate surged to 2.83% on Wednesday from 2.72% on Tuesday against the national rate of 1.77%. There is no end in sight for the spike in the deaths in the state as 71 Covid-19 patients in critical condition are on ventilators, of which 11were added on Wednesday. And, 440 patients are on oxygen support.
In the last 24 hours, 1,514 more people were found to be Covid-19 positive, pushing the state's tally to 56,989. With 1,514 people testing positive out of 20,241 samples collected by the health teams, the positivity rate was recorded at 7.47, which was 8% on Tuesday. A total of 25 duplicate entries and eight cases of other states were removed from the state tally.
Worried about the huge spike in deaths, Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu urged people not to risk their lives by delaying Covid-19 test. The delay in reporting for testing/treatment at the Covid facilities was the main cause of the high mortality rate. As many as 67% of all deaths were due to late reporting, he added.
‘Over 50% deceased diabetics’
Pointing to resistance by villagers to give samples and get themselves tested for Covid, the minister said even symptomatic persons with co-morbidities were not reporting on time. Maximum deaths have occurred among patients with comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney disease, he added. Sidhu revealed that more than 50% of the Covid deaths in the state have been among diabetics.
The minister asked Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta to take stern action against anti-social elements spreading misinformation about testing and treatment of the virus. He said the delay in patients reporting at hospitals and healthcare facilities was on account of false propaganda and fake news being spread by anti-social elements regarding testing and isolation of Covid patients and negative propaganda against health workers.
Sidhu said there have been instances of medical or sampling teams being manhandled, and also cases of resistance to shifting of Covid positive patients to isolation facilities. Such incidents have created an atmosphere of insecurity and lead to lowering of morale of health workers leading the fight against Covid, he said.