Punjab on Saturday reported 23 more fatalities due to COVID-19, pushing the toll to 562, while 998 fresh cases took the state’’s infection tally to 22,928. Twelve deaths were reported in Ludhiana, three in Patiala, two in Amritsar and one each in Barnala, Jalandhar, Mohali, SBS Nagar, Rupnagar and Sangrur, according to a medical bulletin.
Among districts which reported the fresh cases are Ludhiana (168), Patiala (139), Jalandhar (120), Amritsar (102), Mohali (91), Bathinda (72) Gurdaspur (50) and Sangrur (32). A total of 820 coronavirus patients were discharged after recovering from the infection. So far, 14,860 people have been cured of the infection. The state now has 7,506 active COVID-19 cases, the bulletin said.
Twenty-six patients are critical and on ventilator, while 123 are on oxygen support, it said. So far, 6,59,284 samples have been tested for the disease.
Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that the state government performed far better to curb the spread of Coronavirus as compared to other states which has resulted in less loss of lives as compared to other states. He said Punjab has 3.1 positivity rate of cases which is less than the country.
ONE MORE DEATH IN CHANDIGARH, 52 NEW CASES
The Union Territory of Chandigarh reported one more death due to coronavirus, while 52 fresh cases took the tally to 1,426, according to the medical bulletin on Saturday. A 60-year-old coronavirus positive woman succumbed to the infection on Friday at a local hospital here. She was a chronic diabetic patient, the bulletin said. The death toll in the city has risen to 24.
The fresh COVID-19 cases were detected in several areas including sector 3, 15, 19, 21, 22, 26, 30, 32, 38, 45, 51, Maloya and Hallomajra. As many as 52 patients were discharged after they recovered from infection. A total of 872 people have been cured so far, the bulletin said. A total of 17,067 samples have been taken for testing so far and of them, 15,560 tested negative while reports in 78 cases are awaited, it said. There are 529 active Covid-19 cases as of now.