Covid cases surged in Panchkula, Mohali, dipped in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: While Chandigarh witnessed 34% drop in Covid-19 cases during the first phase of Unlock in June as compared to the lockdown period in May, infections surged by nearly 11 times in the neighbouring Panchkula district during the same period. Mohali, too, has nearly fourfold spike.

As May began, Chandigarh had 74 cases, which increased to 294 on May 31 and 440 on June 30. In Mohali, the tally stood at 73, 114 and 271, respectively, and in Panchkula, the count of cases was 18, 26 and 112, respectively.

EASING OF TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

With the easing of interstate travel restrictions in June, “there was an influx of people from Covid-19 hotspots such as Delhi and Mumbai, which led to the spread of infection,” said Dr Jasjit Kaur, civil surgeon, Panchkula. “The situation has stabilised (in recent days) as the movement from outside has decreased to an extent. To meet the challenge, we have increased testing and screening,” she said.

Chandigarh, which reported the highest number of cases in May mainly due to the spread of infection in the congested Bapu Dham Colony, saw a dip in numbers in June as no new hotspots emerged, even as sporadic cases kept surfacing from erstwhile unaffected areas.

“Besides the fact that cases were reported from around 10 sectors for the first time in June, the real concern was Mauli Jagran, where 14 family members and their two contacts were found positive. However, post screening and testing, it was established that there is no infection spread such as the one seen in Bapu Dham,” a senior UT health official said, on the condition of anonymity.

Dr Jagat Ram, director, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, said screening and focused testing has led to better management despite an influx of people from outside Chandigarh during Unlock 1, adding that most cases are due to interstate movement.

In Mohali, too, nearly all cases reported in June are either of people with travel history or their contacts. “While roughly 90% people who contracted the virus in June have travel history, the remaining 8-9% are their contacts,” said Dr Manjeet Singh, civil surgeon, Mohali.