Gurugram: Covid cases see 70% spike; keep your guard up, take booster shot, say doctors

GURUGRAM: The city recorded 361 new Covid cases on Wednesday, a 69% rise from the previous day (213 cases). The health department is expecting a further spike in the coming days.
There are 986 active cases in Gurgaon at present, of which 20 patients are hospitalised while the rest are in home isolation. The positivity rate has risen to 7.9% from 5.2% on Tuesday. The health department conducted 4,572 tests on Wednesday, while 4,080 tests were carried out the day before.

"There is a rise in cases. We carried out more than 4,500 tests on Wednesday to isolate cases at the earliest and curb the spread of the virus. The city will be witnessing a rise in the coming days because of the festive season and change in weather conditions," said Virender Yadav, the chief medical officer.
He added, "We are keeping a close watch on the daily numbers. It is very important to wear a face mask while venturing out. People with comorbidities should take utmost care. Though the hospitalisation rate is low, the virus still can make people with compromised immunity sick. The booster dose will provide us with immunity against the virus."
The city logged a total of 5,438 cases in July, down from 8,046 in June. While it reported 7,619 cases in May, the figure stood at 5,894 in April.
Doctors advised people to keep their guard up and take booster doses, if eligible, at the earliest. Dr Shiba Kalyan Biswal, pulmonary consultant at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, said, "The city is witnessing a steep rise in Covid cases with the positivity rate over 5%. The reason behind this surge is that people are not following Covid-appropriate behaviour anymore.
With the festive season coming, they are going out for shopping and celebrations. While the Covid patients right now have very mild symptoms like fever, body pain and throat pain, we must be careful and always use masks when going out and in public places. Everyone must adhere to Covid hygiene norms without fail."
Haryana, meanwhile, witnessed 978 new cases on Wednesday, a 60% spike from the previous day, when it had recorded 623 cases. The state now has 3,574 active cases, of which 3,440 patients are in home isolation. The positivity rate is 6.9%.
No death was reported in the state on Wednesday, while 717 patients recovered during the day. In the past 24 hours, the health authorities collected 16,753 samples for antigen and RT-PCR tests. Till now, 10,32,249 people have tested Covid-positive in Haryana since the beginning of the pandemic.