Low on testing, Punjab records least number of Covid cases in region

CHANDIGARH: With testing remaining low, Punjab has been recording fewer cases of Covid-19 when compared to neighbouring Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
The average weekly testing count in Punjab is 3,843, with a positivity rate of 6.06%. In Haryana, 8,153 samples were analysed during the past week. Of these, 9.9% were found infected. In Himachal Pradesh, 3,893 tests were every week on an average, with a positivity rate of 7.5%.
In all, 5,538 cases surfaced in Haryana last week, fourth highest in the country. The weekly case count was 1,905 in Himachal and 1,631 in Punjab.
In Punjab and Himachal, five deaths each were reported during the seven-day period, while four persons infected with the virus died in Haryana. Health authorities in Punjab continue to struggle with people seeking late treatment, despite repeated appeals to seek timely medical attention. In one such case reported on Monday, a person in Ludhiana died within 50 minutes of hospitalisation.
Punjab Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar asked people to get themselves tested and seek treatment in time. “People should get themselves tested as soon as any symptoms surface,” advised Dr Bhaskar.
More than two weeks after requesting the central government, the stock of Covid vaccine has not been replenished in Punjab. At present, vaccines are not being administered in the state, both in private and government health facilities.