9 more deaths, 468 fresh Covid cases in state

AMRITSAR/JALANDHAR/BATHINDA/ PATIALA/SANGRUR: Punjab on Saturday recorded 468 new Covid cases and nine deaths. With this, state’s positive patients’ count has reached 12,684 and the death toll to 291.

In yet another single-day spike, Ludhiana reported 164 positive cases and seven deaths. The dead include a 66-year-old woman from Subhash Nagar, 80-year-old man from Jamalpur, 58-year-old man from Basant Avenue, 26-year-old man from Punjabi Bagh Colony, Dugri, 47-year-old man form Model Town, 59-year-man from Kadwai Nagar and 69-year-old resident of Model Town.

In Amritsar, a 49-year-old woman of Ranjit Avenue died after testing positive for Covid19 at local private hospital on Saturday. The district also reported 46 fresh cases. Among those tested positive are assistant superintendent of Amritsar Central Jail and its seven other employees.

Meanwhile, Gurdaspur reported 16 fresh cases and Pathankot seven.

In a major spike, Bathinda reported 66 more Covid cases. Civil surgeon Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu said of these 44 patients are migrant workers who had landed here recently for work.

They were staying at special quarantine colonies set up by at Guru Gobind Singh Refinery near their near plant at Raman Mandi in the district.

A 60-year-old resident of Ferozepur died due to Covid-19 on late Friday night. She was taken to Ludhiana for treatment where she was tested positive. Later, the woman was shifted to Government Medical College in Patiala where she died on Friday night, said health officials.

Meanwhile, nine more people contracted the virus. These include a medical officer and two employees of a private bank.

A police personnel posted in Muktsar also tested positive for the virus on Saturday.

Thirty-two people contracted the infection in Sangrur district. Of these, 16 are from Lehra/ Moonak, six each from and Sangrur, two from Malerkotla, one each from Sunam and Kauhrian blocks.

Forty-seven people tested positive for the virus in Patiala, taking the tally to 1,313.

Civil surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra said of the positive cases, 36 are from Patiala, five from Nabha and six are from various villages.

Thirty-five people contracted the infection in Jalandhar.The district has reported 36 deaths so far.

Faridkot range inspector general of police Kaustubh Sharma tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. District epidemiologist Dr Anita Chauhan said that Sharma has been home quarantined. “The health department will collect samples of his office staff, while we have initiated contact tracing,” she said.

According to sources, Sharma visited Chandigarh recently.

Meanwhile, Mohali reported one death and 28 fresh cases.