HILL STATE SEES 700% RISE IN INFECTIONS IN JANUARY

DHARAMSHALA: : Even as an upward trend is being witnessed in Covid-19 infection across the country, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a nearly 700% rise in the fresh infections in just the first week of the New Year.

Till January 8, the hill state had recorded 2,730 fresh cases compared to only 354 cases in the last week of December 2021.

New infections are on the rise since December 28, however, the daily infection crossed 100-mark on January 2 which has now crossed over 700 per day. A record of 728 cases was recorded on Saturday, January 8. Even, the one-week tally has surpassed the cumulative tally of December 2021 when 1,662 cases were reported in an entire month. The sudden spike also prompted the state government to bring back the curbs. The gatherings, indoor and outdoor have been capped while the schools have been shut till January 26. Cinemas, stadiums and gyms have been closed indefinitely.

Positivity rate goes past 5%

“Variants of the Covid-19 are spreading fast world over and Himachal is no exception. We are continuously reviewing the situation,” said Hemraj Bairwa, mission director, National Health Mission. He said curbs have been brought back while some more restrictions will be imposed as per need. Bairwa said that due to the latest spurt the positivity rate has jumped to 5.5% in January from just 1% in December. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that active cases have shot up by around 700% since January 28, when the state had only 346 active cases. By January 8 the number had reached 2,811.