Coronavirus: In steepest rise yet, Punjab registers 332 infections in one day; case tally now over 1,100

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 3

Punjab's coronavirus tally rose to 1,103 cases on Sunday, with the state reporting 332 in a span of 24 hours----its steepest rise yet.

Sixteen of Punjab 22 districts registered new cases.

Amritsar registered the highest number of COVID-19 cases for second day in a row---the district recorded 75 infections in a span of 24 hours, a development takes the district tally to 218.

Amritsar has recorded 208 new cases in less than a week.

Six districts---Amritsar, SBS Nagar (62), Hoshiarpur (46), Muktsar (43), Bathinda (33), Gurdaspur (24)---accounted for 85 per cent of Sunday’s cases.

Ludhiana (16), Ropar (9), Fatehgarh Sahib (4), Sangrur (4), Jalandhar (4), Ferozepur (2), Mansa (3), Barnala (2), SAS Nagar (2)  Patiala (1) all recorded new cases.

In Patiala, a 75-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus. She had returned from Hazur Sahib. District health department informed that she was being shifted to the isolation ward.

Patiala Civil Surgeon informed that out of 45 samples taken yesterday, only one tested positive. In the meanwhile, two corona positive patients, who recovered, were discharged on Sunday.

Punjab’s numbers have swollen exponentially over the past week: 65 per cent of Punjab's 1,102 cases have been recorded in the past five days alone.

Amritsar now has the most number of cases at 218, followed by Jalandhar (124), Ludhiana (111), SAS Nagar (94), Hoshiarpur (88), Patiala (86), SBS Nagar (85), Muktsar (50), Bathinda (35), Gurdaspur (30), Ferozepur (29), Moga (28), Pathankot (25), Mansa (16), Fatehgarh Sahib (16), Tarn Taran (14), Ropar (14), Kapurthala (13), Sangrur (11), Faridkot (6), Fazilka (4) and Barnala (4). 

The seven districts with the highest number of cases---Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Hoshiarpur, Patiala and SBS Nagar---account for over 75 per cent of Punjab's cases.   

Death toll rises

Ludhiana, Ferozepur and Kapurthala reported deaths from Covid-19.

Ferozepur recorded its first death from the virus. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Ali ke village, and was being treated at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College after he tested positive a few days ago, officials said.

Two people died at a hospital in Ludhiana, one of whom was an elderly man from Phagwara in Kapurthala. 

Both were admitted to Ludhiana's DMCH Hospital and tested positive for the infection on Saturday.

The man from Phagwara was 65 years old and was a resident of Palahi village, officials said.

Pagwara district administration said health teams would collecting swab of his primary contacts for testing.

This takes Kapurthala's death tally to two from 14 infections.

The deaths in Ludhiana have yet to be added to the state death toll, which currently stands at 21.