Punjab on Thursday reported another death along with 11 new coronavirus cases, taking the state’s death toll to 14 and total confirmed cases to 197.
Among the 14 fresh cases, maximum six have been reported from Jalandhar followed by three from Patiala, and two from Pathankot. However, Gurdaspur’s first and the only case, 60-year-old Sansar Singh from Bhaini Passwal village, died at Amritsar’s Government Medical College and Hospital.
Sansar Singh had recently attended the cremation of an ex-army subedar, who was his relative. The man had later tested positive for coronavirus and died in Jalandhar.
Later, Sanasr Singh too showed symptoms of the disease, following which he visited a private hospital in BSF Chowk in Gurdaspur, where the hospital staff asked him to get admitted to the Gurdaspur civil hospital. After a preliminary check-up, he was referred to Amritsar.
Senior Superintendent of Police Swarandeep Singh said that the village and its adjoining hamlets have been declared as containment zones, and the movement will be severely restricted. Out of 105 suspected cases in Gurdaspur district, one has tested positive while 91 have tested negative and the reports of 13 are pending, said Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq.
The state’s Special Chief Secretary Karan Bir Singh Sidhu tweeted, “Sansar Singh, the first Covid-19 patient from Gurdaspur district, has expired at GNDH Amritsar. His cremation will be held in Gurdaspur today.” The patient was admitted to a private hospital in Gurdaspur on April 9 after he complained of increased sugar level and problem in breathing. The doctors advised him to undergo treatment at Fortis Hospital, Amritsar, but he preferred the Civil Hospital in Gurdaspur.
It has been learnt that the lady doctor who attended to him in the private hospital has been quarantined for 14 days. The Health Department has also traced 46 close contacts of the deceased, and their samples have been sent to Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar, and their reports are awaited. Meanwhile, Jalandhar on Thursday reported six new coronavirus cases, taking the total in the district to 31.
While five cases are the contacts of the earlier positive patients, one is the patient of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness.
The husband of the deceased Shahkot woman, who had tested positive on Sunday, also tested positive for the disease. As many 66 people had attended her cremation.