Mohali witnesses uptick in Covid-19 cases after Diwali

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 15

Covid-19 cases shot up by 145 per cent in Mohali district in just 10 days after Diwali, according to a trend analysis of cases recorded before and after the festival.

The data suggests that the seven-month contraction of the Covid outbreak in the district maybe bottoming out. Experts have warned that vaccination pace needs to be picked up in the district and Covid-appropriate behaviour followed.

From only 22 cases witnessed from October 26 to November 4, the number rose to 54 between November 5 and 15 in Mohali district this year.

A similar trend of rise in cases was seen last year also after Diwali in the district. A total of 1,199 cases were recorded 10 days after Diwali against 855 cases recorded in a span of 10 days before Diwali. There was a rise in Covid-19 cases by 40 per cent last year.

Even though the cases have increased, deaths remain low in Mohali. One patient succumbed to the disease. The positivity rate increased to 0.6 per cent from 0.2 per cent.

However, Chandigarh did not report any rise in the cases after Diwali this year. Against 33 cases logged before the festival, only 27 cases surfaced in 10 days after Diwali. In Panchkula also, only 14 cases have been recorded after November 4. Around 13 cases were recorded before the festival.

Dr KK Talwar, former Director, PGI, who has also served as Health Adviser to the Punjab Government, said, “The next two weeks will be very crucial for the surge as Delhi has already started witnessing a rise in Covid cases. Punjab needs to be aggressive in vaccination and it is only a matter of time when we will find out how long the vaccination lasts. With booster dose not available, we should take all precautions. The festive celebrations and gatherings are the reason behind the surge.”

Dr Adarsh Pal Kaur, Mohali Civil Surgeon, said, “The cases in the district rose because of the family members who came from other places and tested positive here.”