Panaji: Goa, on Saturday, reported 219 fresh
Covid-19 cases, taking the count of patients that are under treatment to 1,979. The toll of casualties now stands at 835.
With two deaths, the mortality count rose to 835.
Two men, a 60-year-old from Kolhapur, and an 85-year-old from Ponda, succumbed to the virus while undergoing treatment at
Goa Medical College.
The case positive rate dropped from 14 % on Friday to 10.5 % over the last 24 hours. A
health officer, however, said this should not be a reason to lower one’s guard.
“There must be a consistent drop for a week and more to say with some confidence that new infections are lessening. Until that happens, we can’t heave a sigh of relief,” he said.
On Saturday, Margao’s
caseload breached the 200-mark while that of the Porvorim primary health centre inched closer toward 200 cases. The caseload at Mapusa was 103.
Besides Panaji, Margao, Porvorim, Ponda, Vasco and Mapusa, some smaller towns and villages are also witnessing a
steady rise in infections over the last few days, though their numbers are still down.
After Candolim, whose case tally stood at 151 on Saturday, the rise in cases reported from Siolim is also a cause of concern among smaller towns.
“Though Siolim is a village, over the last decade it has become populous and sees a high turnout of tourists heading towards the coastal belt of Mandrem. Also, it has a high concentration of migrants who are mostly employed as construction labourers,” the health officer said.
On Saturday, Siolim’s caseload was 83, but in all probability, the number will go up in the next few days.
Similarly, Sankhali, Aldona, Chimbel and Corlim in North Goa and Cansaulim, Cortalim and Loutolim need to be watched.
“If these places show a rise on lines of major towns, the state’s daily average will be 300 or more. I pray, we are proven wrong,” the officer said.
Over the last 24 hours, 102 patients were home isolated and 27 hospitalised.