State adds 10,451 cases in July, positivity rate goes up by 1%

PATIENT RECOVERY RATE COMES DOWN TO 64% FROM 70% IN A MONTH EVEN AS MORTALITY RATE DECREASES

CHANDIGARH : Punjab recorded a whopping 10,451 fresh Covid-19 cases and 237 deaths in July, with an increase in positivity rate.

Whereas the overall mortality rate came down to 2.3% despite increase in the spread of the virus, mortality rate remained at 2.2 %. The national mortality rate for the month was also 2.2%, according the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) figures.

Medical experts say there is an overall increase in the number of deaths but since the total cases have also gone up, the mortality rate remains almost the same. In June, the state had witnessed 100 deaths.

By June-end, the state’s Covid-19 positivity rate was 1.8% which has increased to 2.7%. July alone witnessed the positivity rate of 3.8%. The national positivity rate also went up from 10% to 11% in July when the state conducted nearly 2.63 lakh tests.

“The main reason behind rise in positivity rate is the increased testing and the state’s strategy to test every high-risk primary contact of a patient. The positivity rate among high-risk primary contacts is 10%. As July witnessed more cases due to unlock and increase in testing, positivity rate has also gone up,” said state Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar.

The state health department has denied any community spread even in the three worsthit districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.

“On Friday, we gathered feedback on chances of community spread but the spread of the diseases has remained restricted to certain clusters only,” said the nodal officer.

The recovery rate of Covid-19 patients in Punjab dipped from 70% in June to 66% in July. But health officials say it not worrying since the state’s mortality rate has decreased.