With 6% positivity rate, three more Haryana dists in critical category

With this, 8 districts are now in critical category; on Monday, the state recorded 352 deaths, the highest in a week since March 2020

CHANDIGARH: Three more Haryana districts —Sonepat, Karnal and Ambala — entered the critical category with a positivity rate of more than 6%, taking the number of districts having critical positivity to eight. The other five are Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula, Panipat and Rewari.

As per a health department analysis, the seven-day moving average of daily new positivity rate was 21.67% till April 25.

The virus’ trajectory is on an unprecedented climb having started the ascent 12 weeks ago.

The number of infected patients in the state touched a new high last week (April 19-25) with 67,348 fresh infections as compared to 40,090 reported the week before.

The state also reported 352 deaths last week, the highest in a week since March 2020. Before this, 213 deaths were the highest weekly count reported in November.

The highest number of cases during the last surge was 17,426 infections reported between November 16 and 22.

The sample positivity rate increased to 5.95% last week as compared to 5.23%, the week before and the recovery rate dropped to 81.61% as compared to 87.22% the week before. The number of active cases on Monday were over 79,000 with the national capital region (NCR) districts of Gurugram (with about 2,700 active cases), Faridabad (with about 10,000) active infections, Sonepat (with over 5,400 active cases) being the leading contributors.

The other significant contributors to the infection tally were Hisar with 5,700 active cases, Karnal with over 4,500 active infections, Panipat with over 3,800 cases and Ambala with over 2,900 active infections.

Hisar, Kurukshetra and Fatehabad closing in

The sample positivity rate of eight districts classified as critical was on an ascendancy. Faridabad has a positivity rate of 10.11%, Gurugram (8.83%), Panchkula (7.27%), Rewari (6.50%), Karnal (6.44%), Sonepat (6.19%) and Ambala 6.17%.

Hisar with a sample positivity rate of 5.94%, Kurukshetra (5.44%) and Fatehabad (5.22%) were also closing in to enter the critical category, officials said. Only two districts Nuh (0.92%) and Charkhi Dadri (1.37%) have a desirable positivity rate of less than 2%.

Even as the vaccination slowed down in the state, health minister Anil Vij on Monday said the state government has placed an order for procuring 66 lakh doses of vaccine for inoculating everyone above 18.

The minister in a tweet said the state government has placed an order for 40 lakh Covishield vaccine and 26 lakh Covaxin. The vaccine will be provided free of cost to everyone above 18, he said.

24X7 control room for oxygen supply management

Additional chief secretary, health, Rajeev Arora said that they have set up a 24-hour control room at the civil secretariat in Chandigarh to streamline the supply of medical oxygen in the state.

Principal secretary, industries and commerce, Vijayendra Kumar and a team of eight officers will man the control room. “Besides, HSIIDC managing director and MSME director have been directed to fast-track approvals for manufacturing of medical oxygen by industrial oxygen making units,’’ Arora said.

Another official, Vikas Yadav has been deputed at the Air Liquide Plant at Panipat for monitoring medical oxygen dispatches.