In a first, state sees 106 deaths in a day

LUDHIANA/AMRITSAR/JALANDHAR/BATHINDA/PATIALA: Ina first, Punjab on Wednesday reported 106 Covid-related fatalities, highest in the state so far ins a single day, taking the death toll to 1,618.

The state also reported 1,514 fresh Covid-19 infections, pushing the tally to 56,989, according to the state health department’s daily media bulletin.

On Tuesday, the state had reported 59 deaths. In the past 10 days, the state has registered 532 deaths.

As per media bulletin, 71 more persons are critical as on Wednesday and are on ventilator support, whereas 440 are on oxygen support.

Ludhiana reported 18 deaths on Wednesday, followed by Jalandhar (11), Bathinda (10), Mohali (9), Gurdaspur (8), Amritsar (8), Ropar (7), Patiala (6), Fazilka (3), Fatehgarh Sabhib (3), two each in Sangrur, Taran Taran, Faridkot.

The sudden spike in fatalities has come as shocker for the government, with the health minister, Balbir Singh Sidhu, issuing a three press notes late in the evening in which he blamed people for not coming forward for testing and reporting to the hospitals only when their condition worsens. In other statements, he announced easy home quarantine norms.

Ludhiana registered the highest number of 242 Covid-19 cases, followed by 171 in Jalandhar, 163 in Bathinda, 160 in Patiala, 112 in Mohali, 99 in Amritsar and 64 in Faridkot.

The total number of infections rose to 56,989, including 1,618 deaths, the bulletin said.

As per the bulletin, there are 15,629 active cases of the coronavirus disease and 39,742 people have recovered so far, with 1,595 more patients recuperating from the pathogen.