Chandigarh on the road to recovery
Even as five fresh cases reported, 48 more patients get cured in city
CHANDIGARH: As many as 48 Covid-19 patients were discharged from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Wednesday, taking the number of recoveries in Chandigarh to 139, even as five new cases surfaced at the Bapu Dham Colony containment zone.
Now, the total number of confirmed cases stands at 205, of which only 63 are active. Three people have died so far.
The development comes a day after 37 people recovered in the city. With this, the city has seen 85 recoveries in two days, and the recovery rate has shot up to 68%.
Meanwhile, the fresh cases pertain to two men, aged 25 and 50, a woman, aged 28, and two children, a four-year-old boy and six-year-old girl. They were contacts of previous cases reported in Bapu Dham Colony, which accounts for 65% of Chandigarh’s confirmed cases.
Even as the UT health department claimed only 45 recoveries — all from Bapu Dham Colony, the PGIMER release mentioned three more people — two females, aged 16 and 50, and one 10-year-old boy, also from the same colony — who were discharged upon two consecutive negative tests.
The remaining 45 have been declared recovered a day after the UT administration asked the PGIMER to adhere to the new Covid-19 discharge policy for asymptomatic patients.
According to the new guidelines issued by the Union health ministry, asymptomatic, presymptomatic and very mild symptomatic cases can be discharged from isolation health facility without testing provided they had been asymptomatic (no fever, breathlessness) for more than three days.
All these 45 patients completed over two weeks’ quarantine at the PGIMER, but remained asymptomatic, and were thus eligible for discharge, confirmed a PGIMER official. However, they will have to remain in seven-day quarantine at Sood Dharamshala, Sector 22, considering the fact that further isolation may not be a possible in their congested dwellings in Bapu Dham.
UT health secretary Arun Gupta said necessary arrangements have been made for their stay. “A part of the dharamshala is functional as a Covid care centre and we have medical staff posted there for any emergency,” he said.
› They will have to remain in seven-day quarantine at a Covid centre as further isolation may not be a possible in their congested dwellings in Bapu Dham Colony.
PGIMER OFFICIAL