At 24%, health workers have highest positivity rate in state
State sees 4% increase in cases with untraceable sources or no travel history in last fortnight; 1,600 cases reported in 7 days, but govt denies community spread
CHANDIGARH : Healthcare workers have the highest Covid-19 positivity rate in Punjab at 24%, an analysis by the state health department based on the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data of RT-PCR (realtime polymerase chain reaction) testing between June 29 and July 6 reveals .
The rate jumped by 10% in the week between June 22 and June 29.
Even as more than 1,600 Covid-19 cases were detected in Punjab in the past one week, the state government has denied community transmission yet.
As per an analysis of the state health department, most of the newly infected are the contacts of those having tested positive earlier and there was no major jump in cases with no traced contact history.
“In the last two weeks, the state witnessed nearly 4% rise in number of patients with no travel history or untraceable contacts. On the other hand, there was almost 10% increase in cases with contact history during the same period,” said Punjab Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar.
THOSE WITH FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS A FACTOR IN CONTAINMENT AREAS
The next biggest contributors in the increase in cases in this week have been patients with influenza-like illnesses in the
› We should not panic as there has been no major increase in cases with unknown sources. Violation of social distancing and increase in interstate movement are behind spike in cases
DR RAJESH BHASKAR, Punjab Covid-19 nodal officer
hotspot or containment areas where positivity rate was 21%. This positivity rate in this category of patients was 8% from June 22 to 29.
Testing in the hotspot and containment zones is carried out based on the activity and contact history of those found infected and the ones directly
reporting at the flu corners or other facilities.
“We should not panic because there has been no major increase in cases with unknown sources. The violation of social distancing norms and increase in interstate movement are the biggest reasons behind spike in cases,” said the nodal officer.