219 new coronavirus cases pushes Punjab tally past 800

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 2

Punjab's coronavirus numbers swelled to 804 on Saturday, with 219 new cases being recorded over the past 24 hours.

A vast majority of the new cases recorded on Saturday---about 194---were pilgrims who had just returned from Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra's Nanded. 

Fourteen of the state's 22 districts reported new cases.

The state's evening bulletin showed Amritsar recorded 52 new cases---the highest single-day rise recorded in any district in the state so far. 

Hoshairpur recorded 31 new cases, followed by Moga (22), Patiala and Ludhiana (both 21), Jalandhar (15), Ferozepur (9), Fatehgarh Sahib (6), Muktsar (3), SAS Nagar (2), Sangrur (1), Gurdaspur (1), Ropar (1), and Kapurthala (1), the state bulletin showed. 

Gurdaspur recorded a major spike in infections later in the evening, recording 24 more cases---a development that took the district tally to 29. All new patients were pilgrims, officials said.

Jalandhar and Sangrur also recorded four more cases each.

These cases have yet to be counted in the state's tally.

On Ferozepur’s nine cases, six were labourers from Rajasthan. Of Fatehgarh’s Sahib’s six cases, one was a combine worker.

Mohali reported two more cases, taking the district’s tally to 92.

A 25-year-old woman from Desu Majra village and a 67-year-old man from Phase 10 tested positive.

Civil Surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said both reported flu-like symptoms.

They are currently at the Covid Care Centre at Banur’s Gian Sagar Hospital.

Muktsar reported three more cases, taking the district tally to seven.

A laboratory technician, a ward attendant at the health department and a driver of combine harvester tested positive, officials said.

In Moga, of the 22 cases, one person had recently returned from Dubai. Four Asha workers also tested positive.

Punjab has recorded 429 new cases in the past 72 hours alone. 

With 143 infections, Amritsar has replaced Jalandhar as the district with the highest number of cases. Jalandhar follows at 119, Ludhiana at 94, SAS Nagar at 93 and Patiala at 89.

The state has recorded 20 deaths so far.

The central government has declared Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala red zones, while Mohali and Amritsar are among the state’s orange zones.