Nerchowk doctor succumbs to Covid, Sundernagar MLA +ve

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 20

Dr Pradeep Bansal, head of community medicine at Nerchowk Medical College in Mandi, died at a private hospital in Chandigarh today. He had tested positive for Covid about a fortnight back. His daughter, who is also a doctor and serving at Seraj in Mandi, has tested positive. Dr Bansal had a travel history to Patiala.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over Dr Bansal’s death. Though there are several doctors, who contracted the Covid virus, all had recuperated. This is the first death of a doctor in the state due to Covid.

Three persons died in Mandi district. Jeevanand Chauhan, Senior Medical Superintendent of the medical college, said Kulwant Singh (62) of Bilaspur district, was under treatment at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon. On September 13, he was found Covid-positive. Later, he was shifted to the Mandi medical college, where he had been on ventilator since September 17. Gayatri Devi (60) of Kanwahal village in Mandi also died at the medical college.

Two more persons died of Covid in Kangra, taking the total number of deaths in the district to 27. Those who died today included a 60-year-old woman from Kohala village near Kangra. She was admitted to the Tanda medical college on September 16. The second victim, also a woman, belonged to Ichi village near Kangra.

Sundernagar MLA tests +ve

Sundernagar BJP MLA Rakesh Jamwal and his PSO tested positive on Sunday, said senior medical officer at Nerchowk’s Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri Medical College Nerchowk, Dr J N Chauhan.

221 cases reported

With 221 fresh cases, the state Covid tally reached 12,129. The fatality figure now stands at 117.

In the last 24 hours, there have been four deaths, including two in Kangra and one each in Shimla and Solan.

The highest number of 80 positive cases were reported in Mandi, 31 in Una, 26 in Shimla, 19 in Kullu, 15 each in Sirmaur and Kangra, 12 in Solan, nine in Chamba, seven in Lahaul Spiti and one in Hamirpur.