Cases up 44% this week in Chandigarh

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8

In August, the city had reported between 100 and 150 cases of Covid every day. The number steadily rose to over 300 cases per day in September. For the most of October, the daily average of the number of cases fell to 50. In the last week, however, the cases have again gained momentum with at least 100 cases being reported each day.

City sees 109 cases, 2 deaths

Chandigarh: The city reported 109 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total number of infections to 15,134. The city also saw two deaths due to the virus, taking the toll to 234. An 82-year-old man from Sector 49 died at the GMCH-32. He was suffering from diabetes mellitus and myocardial infarction. A 73-year-old woman from Sector 22 died at the GMSH-16. She was suffering from SARI, hypertension and chronic kidney disease. As many as 46 patients defeated the virus on Sunday. The total number of cured patients in the city stands at 14,024.

There has been a rise in the cases by 44 per cent as compared with the week ending October 31. While 380 cases surfaced in the city from October 25 to 31, 549 cases were recorded from November 1 to 7.

The positivity rate has increased to 8 per cent this week. It was 6 per cent in the preceding week.

Dr Jagat Ram, Director, PGI, said, “For the past one week, the daily case count is on the rise. The number of patients requiring hospitalisation is also going up. When the cases were on the decline, there used to be 65 patients in the Covid ward. However, the number of admissions has now crossed 100 in the ward.”

“Cold weather and air pollution are the two evils that will worsen the situation. People must not lower the guard and wear a mask, use a sanitiser and maintain social distancing,” said Dr Ram.

Dr Amandeep Kaur Kang, Director, Health Services, UT, said, “The surge is due to an increased mobility during the festival season. Days after Dasehra, the city started witnessing a spike in the number of Covid cases. We encourage residents to participate in mobile testing and self-monitoring of symptoms.”

“Residents must take all necessary precautions as the air quality is deteriorating and it could worsen the symptoms of Covid patients. The next few days will experience dry weather without air movement due to which the pollutants will remain in the atmosphere, thus making it difficult for people with respiratory diseases to breathe. The UT decision to ban bursting of crackers in the city is a welcome step,” said Dr Kang.