Covid-19: 34 deaths in Punjab in 24 hrs

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 12

As many as 34 persons died of Covid in the past 24 hours, taking the number of fatalities beyond the 6,000 mark.

Night curfew has been imposed as 194 new cases were reported in Mohali and 152 in Patiala. A total of 1,414 new cases have been reported in the state in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of active cases to 10,452. As many as 23 patients are critical and on ventilator support.

FM contracts virus

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal tested Covid-positive on Thursday evening. At least 60 persons at Anaj Bhawan, head office of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, were found infected on Friday.

Today, the state has reported the highest number of cases and the highest fatalities after the second wave of the pandemic hit Punjab. As many as seven districts have reported over 100 cases today, namely Ludhiana (133), Jalandhar (124), Hoshiarpur (188), Amritsar (112), Kapurthala (109), besides Mohali and Patiala. The highest number of deaths has been reported in Mohali and Jalandhar (six each), followed by Amritsar and Patiala (five each). Three persons succumbed to the virus in Kapurthala, two each in Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, and one each in Ropar, Fazilka, Sangrur, Ludhiana and Nawanshahr.

Over two lakh healthcare and frontline workers have been vaccinated with the first dose and over 63,500 with the second dose. As many as 82,221 persons over 60 years of age and over 45 years with comorbidities have been vaccinated. To date, 1,94,753 persons have been afflicted by the contagion. Meanwhile, in Fazilka, the number of daily cases has increased again. In all, 27 persons tested positive today.