Another all-time low weekly Covid count in Haryana
CHANDIGARH: For the third consecutive week, Haryana reported the lowest-ever weekly coronavirus infection count during a spell of decrease in the virus spread, logging 260 cases last week (July 12-18).
Last week’s count surpassed the 376 cases reported the week before, which at that point of time was the lowest ever count in a week.
The contagion continued its downhill journey for a consecutive 10th week emboldening the state government to ease lockdown restrictions. Opening of offices - government as well as corporate, educational institutions, club houses, restaurants, bars, cinema halls, gyms, sports complexes, swimming pools for competing athletes, shopping malls and uncapping the number of persons allowed for indoor and outdoor congregations are some of the activities allowed by the government.
“The mingling of people and assembling of crowds,” health officials said, “is recipe for a fresh surge. The numbers have dipped to an unprecedented low. They will sooner or later start climbing.”
“The contagion has shown a tendency to infect more people once the infection rate hits bottom and restrictions are eased. This happened in February first week when the per week infections came down to 534 but started slowly increasing from the week ahead,” said an official. As of July 19, there were less than 800 active cases across state with Hisar and Panipat being the only districts having 100 or more active cases. The
weekly number of fatalities due to the contagion also came down to 49 last week.
With the number of cases declining, the cumulative positivity rate which went through the roof in May has also started a gradual descent. The 7.3% cumulative positivity rate is closing in to exit the critical category. Positivity rate of more than 6% is bracketed in the critical category.
Eight districts – Ambala, Rohtak, Rewari, Palwal, Kurukshetra, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri and Kaithal are out of the critical category.
Nuh is the only district with a desirable positivity rate of less than 2%. Three more districts – Yamunanagar, Bhiwani and Sirsa are also expected to exit the critical category by the weekend, data suggests.
The remaining 13 districts in the critical category have also seen a reduction in the positivity rate.