Punjab sees record 106 coronavirus deaths

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 2

Punjab reported 106 new coronavirus deaths---by far the most deaths the state has reported thus far---the state’s COVID-19 bulletin showed on Wednesday.

The number of deaths is almost twice the daily fatalities it had been reporting lately, and has taken the state’s death toll to 1,618.

The state has also added 1,481 new COVID-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 56,989.

Eighteen of Punjab’s 22 districts reported deaths on Wednesday, with Ludhiana leading the list at 18. Jalandhar (11), Amritsar (8), Bathinda (10), Faridkot (2), Fatehgarh Sahib (3), Fazilka (3), Ferozepur (5), Gurdaspur (8), Hoshiarpur (5), Kapurthala (5), SAS Nagar (9), Muktsar (1), SBS Nagar (1), Patiala (6), Ropar (7), Sangrur (2), and Tarn Taran (2) all reported deaths.

All of Punjab’s districts reported new cases, with Ludhiana still having the highest infections at 242. Jalandhar (171), Patiala (160), SAS Nagar (112) and Bathinda (163) all reported COVID-19 cases in triple digits.

Amritsar (99), Sangrur (44), Gurdaspur (25), Ferozepur (46), Moga (24), Hoshiarpur (18), Pathankot (24), Barnala (60), Fatehgarh Sahib (17), Kapurthala (25), Faridkot (56), Tarn Taran (27), Ropar (30), Fazilka (56),SBS Nagar (17), Muktsar (63), and Mansa (27) all reported new cases.

Punjab has been seeing a significant rise in coronavirus cases since August---the state’s cases have risen over 250 per cent since the end of July.  The state has also added 1,332 deaths over that period---a 345 per cent rise.

Punjab government expects the state’s COVID-19 cases to spike this month---its own projections show that the state’s COVID-19 cases would breach 1.10 lakh by the end of the month, with about 3,000 deaths.  

Sixteen of Punjab’s 22 districts have over 1000 cases.

Three districts with the highest number of cases---Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala---account for 43 per of the state’s infection total.

Ludhiana alone accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the state’s total cases and 27 per cent of its deaths.

About 27 per cent of the state’s cases are still active.