Himachal health authorities issue advisory as Covid cases see uptick

SHIMLA: : The health authorities in Himachal Pradesh have issued an advisory after an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the state in the past few days.

It has been noticed that there is a sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases in the state of Himachal Pradesh which may have implications in near future, states the advisory issued by the office of the secretary of health.

It has become necessary to monitor the Covid-19 and influenza situation in the state so that the emergence of new Covid variants and influenza types (H1N1 and H3N2) can be prevented, it added. In view of the situation, people have been advised to wear masks while visiting hospitals. Senior citizens and people with comorbidities have also been advised to wear masks while in crowded places.

Apart from this, people have been advised to observe social distancing norms and adhere to hand hygiene.

“People should take the precautionary dose of Covid vaccine and those with flu-like symptoms should get themselves screened for influenza and Covid-19 immediately,” states the advisory.

It is worth mentioning that the state has recorded 660 new Covid cases this month till March 25; 401 in the last week alone. As many as 100 cases were recorded on March 24, the highest single-day spike this year. Two deaths have also been reported in the last month.

The active cases have climbed to 410 after dropping to zero on February 1. Mandi has the highest number of 98 active cases in the state followed by 92 in Shimla and 67 in Kangra. There were 59 active cases in Solan, 32 in Hamirpur, 15 in Sirmaur, 12 in Bilaspur, 11 in Kullu, nine each in Chamba and Kinnaur and three each in Lahaul-Spiti and Una.

After Himachal recorded Covid-19

cases in March 2020, the first wave peaked in November. After a slowdown, the second wave hit the state in February 2021 with the Delta variant of Covid-19 wreaking havoc across India.

The second wave hit its peak in May 2021 when the state recorded 91,043 cases in a month. Nearly 2,500 people died during the second wave of the pandemic in just three months.

The third wave which hit the state at the end of December 2021 and continued through February 2022 was comparatively less lethal and over 1,200 people lost their lives during this time.