More than two dozens inmates of Ludhiana Central Jail were among 175 fresh coronavirus cases reported from Punjab on Sunday, pushing the state’s count to 6,283. The state’s COVID-19 death toll has also reached 164 with two more deaths — one each from Patiala and Tarn Taran — recorded in the past 24 hours.
As many 26 jail inmates, one cop, four healthcare workers were tested positive in Ludhiana district, which reported total 70 fresh infections on Sunday. Witnessing spikes since past week, Ludhiana now has the highest corona cases at 1079 with 24 deaths.Confirming the development, the officials maintained that as many 26 jail inmates have been tested COVID-19 positive and they all were asymptomatic.
They had been kept in a separate barrack of the jail, said the Chief Medical Officer Rajesh Kumar Bagga.As many 32 inmates had been shifted from Borstal Jail — a special jail for coronavirus patients — after testing negative to Central Jail, and 26 of them were tested positive in retest.Besides Ludhiana, Patalia with 26, followed by Mohali (16), Ferozepur (11), Amritsar (10), Faridkot (eight), Jalandhar (seven), Sangrur (six), Gurdaspur (five), four each from Bathinda, Moga and Pathankot, and one each from Tarn Taran, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka and Mansa, form rest of fresh cases.
Of fresh cases, 78 have contact history, and five — including a foreign returnee and four with returning from other states — have travel history, while as many 80 are “new” cases with no travel or contact history.
These include 26 jail inmates, one police personnel, one private healthcare worker, two out patients (OPD), 12 with influenza-like Illness (ILI).