Chandigarh breaches 100 mark in 47 days

All cases reported from Bapu Dham Colony, taking its tally to 48 in 11 days; whole area declared containment zone

CHANDIGARH: The number of Covid-19 cases crossed the 100 mark in Chandigarh on Monday, with five fresh ones taking the tally to 102 within 47 days. The first case was reported on March 18.

All five are from Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26. A girl aged 13 and four males aged 15, 17, 23 and 43, they belong to the same family and had come in contact with another family member who was diagnosed earlier.

With the fresh cases, the chain of transmission in Bapu Dham Colony, which has been attributed to a single source, has infected 48 people within 11 days, accounting for 47% of Chandigarh’s count. Following this, the entire area was declared a containment zone by the UT administration on Monday, so that more people can be brought under intensive screening and their movement can be regulated.

The test positivity rate in the city has drastically increased after the first case surfaced in the congested low-income residential area on April 24. Statistics show that in the last nine days, out of 944 persons tested in UT, 7.6% have been found infected. When compared with 36 days prior to April 24, only 4% were found to be Covid-19 positive among the 734 tested.

The other areas that have reported a considerable number of cases are Sector 30 (18), Sectors 21 and 33 (five each) and Sectors 37, 38 and 53 (three each).

Since April 25, six people have been discharged, which account for 28% of the total 21 recoveries, even though the overall recovery rate has fallen drastically from 46% to 20% in the UT after the fresh spike. With only one death recorded due to Covid-19 to date, the mortality rate is 0.98%.

Meanwhile, in the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, only one patient from Chandigarh — a Sector 38 resident — is admitted in the intensive care unit, said official spokesperson Dr Ashok Kumar. Other patients are admitted in the wards and are showing good signs of recovery.

THE CITY NOW HAS 102 CONFIRMED CASES, THE FIRST CASE HAD SURFACED ON MARCH 18