Weekly Covid cases up by 28%

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 22

Haryana’s weekly number of fresh Covid cases has jumped up by 28 per cent this month, giving rise to worries of a fresh wave.

The state reported 684 new cases in the week from February 15 to 21 after 534 from February 1 to 7, registering an increase of 28 per cent in a fortnight.

The increase was 11 per cent over 615 new cases recorded from February 8 to 14. Ever since the number of new cases started falling in November last year, it was for the first time that the downward trend ended.

With new cases showing an upward trend in neighbouring Punjab with warnings of mutant strains, the surge had given rise to fears that Haryana could witness a fresh wave.

The state has 861 active cases, with 94 per cent (771) concentrated in seven districts — Ambala (45), Faridabad (57), Gurugram (235), Karnal (107), Kurukshetra (81), Panchkula (111) and Panipat (77).

Haryana tested 1,00,634 samples, both through RT-PCR and rapid antigen methods, from February 15 to 21, making it an average daily testing of 14,376 samples.

The state tested 1,25,648 samples from February 8 to 15, at an average of 17,950 samples daily. During the Covid peak in November last year, Haryana was conducting 35,000 tests per day, on an average.

Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said it was too early to conclude that a new wave had arrived, but cautioned people not to lower their guard.

Rebutting suggestions that testing had been reduced, Arora maintained that proper methodology was followed in collecting samples and the department could not conduct tests forcibly.

“When we had a sample positivity rate of 10 or more, people were coming forward for testing in large numbers. Now, when the positivity rate is 0.6 or less, it is natural that fewer people feel the necessity to get tested,” he added.