HP’s case count crosses 1,300-mark in 117 days

DHARAMSHALA: Himachal’s Covid-19 tally breached 1,300-mark on Tuesday with 18 more people testing positive for the virus.

Seven cases were reported in Chamba, three each in Solan and Una, two each in Kangra and Shimla and one in Kinnaur.

The state’s total covid count has mounted to 1,309.

Himachal breached the mark on the 117th day of reporting its first case, which was detected on March 20. The 1,200-mark was reached on July 12. Hundred new cases were added in the tally in just two days.

In Chamba, three ITBP personnel and an army jawan were tested positive. Chief medical officer Rajesh Guleri said that in Samot area, a 31-year-old jawan, his wife, and two children have tested positive. Two more jawans of the paramilitary forces were detected positive in Bharari and Garnota villages.All have a travel history from Kerala. An army jawan, who returned from Roorkee, was found positive in Kandei village near Dalhousie. Two people, including a pregnant woman, were tested positive in Nalagarh of Solan district. Two cases were detected in Chhatri village of Kangra.

96 CASES IN TWO DAYS

A total of 96 cases have been detected in Himachal in two days with the hill-state witnessing steepest single-day spike of 78 cases on Monday, said special secretary (health) Nipun Jindal.

The Baddi-Bartotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt of Solan district recorded a total of 72 cases. As many as 69 cases were reported in BBN on Monday. “Most of them are migrant labourers working in factories here,” said Solan chief medical officer Dr NK Gupta.

Solan district’s tally has now shot up to 259 of which 104 are active cases. Baddi-BarotiwalaNalagarh is emerging as the new hotspot of Covid-19 cases. Since the outbreak, Himachal has recorded 1,309 cases, of which 938 have been cured and 347 Active cases. Nine people have succumbed to the contagion, while 13 patients migrated out.

Kangra is the worst-hit district with 314 cases, followed by Hamirpur with 276 cases.

13,610 TESTS PER 10 LAKH PEOPLE

Himachal is conducting 13,610 tests per 10 lakh people, better than the national average of 8,271 per 10 lakh people. The state also has a high recovery rate of 71.8% as compared to the national average of 63.01%. The death rate in the hill state is 0.90%.