Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 1

In what appears to be the volatile situation arising out of the devastating second Covid wave, Ludhiana’s average daily case count has crossed the 1,000-mark in the past week.

Setting a new record of sorts in the state, the 24-hour tally touched 1,062 between April 23 and 29.

The exponential rise could be gauged from the fact that the count of daily infections mounted almost three times in less than a month. The district had recorded an average 341 daily cases between March 10 and April 13, which had risen to 717 between April 15 and 21, and 934 between April 20 and 26.

With this, Ludhiana was way ahead from all other districts and has become the epicentre of virus infection in the state.

Among other worst-hit districts, Mohali reported 858 average daily cases between April 23 and 29, while Jalandhar logged 571, Bathinda 527, Patiala 519, and Amritsar 500 new infections every day.

Similarly, Ludhiana’s average weekly positivity rate, which is a key indicator of virus surge, once again shot up to 11.1 per cent between April 23 and 29 from 10 per cent recorded between April 20 and 26. However, it was less than 11.5 per cent reported between April 15 and 21.

With lower than the state’s average weekly positivity rate of 12 per cent, Ludhiana was also better than Mohali, which continued to record the highest positivity rate of 22.9 per cent, followed by Bathinda 18.2 per cent, Amritsar 13.1 per cent and Patiala 11.3 per cent.

Jalandhar was the only district among the six worst-hit districts, which reported 10.2 per cent average weekly positivity rate, lower than that of Ludhiana.

On the deaths and case fatality rate (CFR) front, Ludhiana reported 12 average daily Covid deaths at 1.1 per cent CFR between April 23 and 29 and was placed at second spot in the state after Amritsar, which recorded the maximum 13 deaths at highest 2.5 per cent CFR during this period.

Among other high caseload districts, Mohali reported nine daily deaths at 1 per cent CFR, Jalandhar six at 1 CFR, Bathinda seven at 1.3 and Patiala logged 10 daily virus casualties at the CFR of 2 per cent in the last week.

43 beds added, 294 vacant

• Continuing with its efforts to facilitate the critical patients requiring hospitalisation and life support, the district administration has added 43 beds — 28 Level-3 and 15 Level-2 — in the district during the past 24 hours.
• Sharing details, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said of the total earmarked 482 Level-3 beds, three were vacant, while 291 of the total earmarked 1,474 Level-2 beds were still available till this evening. “We are doing our best and putting to use all available resources to conquer the current situation,” added Sharma.

Short of vaccine, 88 sites shut

• Facing acute vaccine crunch, Ludhiana district has suspended the ongoing vaccination drive for 45-plus beneficiaries at 88 sites. “Since we are left with 2,660 doses, including 6,000 Covaxin, we have shut all outreach sessions in rural health blocks and subdivisions and will run total 12 sites in Ludhiana city tomorrow,” informed District Immunisation Officer Dr Puneet Juneja.
• While eight sites at Civil Hospital, Civil Surgeon office, Jawadi, MCH, Vardhman, Dugri, Shimlapuri, Haibowal and Krishna Mandir in Model Town will accommodate beneficiaries for the second and first dose of Covishield, four sites at Sunet, Model Town, Civil Hospital and MCH, Vardhman, will administer only second dose to Covaxin beneficiaries.