CHANDIGARH: After 25 days, the city’s daily Covid cases doubled from 200-odd to 400-odd. The active cases per million are 2,940, third after Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The national average is 929.8.
The city’s share in the countrywide active cases is 0.3%, still more than the share of 13 states or UTs. The positivity rate last week was between 12 and 13%. The WHO recommends it to be below 5%. The figure of tests per million per day is 2,747, while the national average is 1,034.1. The city is fourth in tests per million after Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Assam.
Between April 1 and 13, the city has reported 7,087 cases. These cumulative figures of 13 days are 75% more than the combined cases in January (1,126) and February (813). On Tuesday, 397 cases, including a death were reported. The positivity rate was 12.5%. “These numbers will soar until May as projected in some of the studies. Since March 17, average daily cases are more than 350,” said a public health expert.
Doctors believe that temperature, non-adherence to the Covid protocols, and virus mutation have together contributed to the spike in daily cases. A public health expert said: “Mutation increases when there is greater transmission of the virus. The transmission can be controlled by wearing masks, observing social distance, and washing hands frequently.”
The city has tested 32,831 samples between April 1 and 13, while 3,868 patients were discharged in this period.