Mohali active caseload up 100 times in 20 days

Sanjay Bumbroo

Mohali, January 21

The active cases of Covid have increased 100 times in the past 20 days in the district. From 91 active cases on December 31, the count has reached 9,013.

According to the data provided by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), the positivity rate also increased from 1.31 per cent to 32.09 per cent during this period.

With 1,171 fresh cases in the past five days, the Dhakoli area of Zirakpur has become a Covid-19 hotspot. The Kharar subdivision has become another Covid hotspot as it reported 1,196 cases in the past five days.

The district witnessed a 21.5 per cent increase in Covid-19 cases during the same period as the total number of cases has gone up from 69,162 to 84,012. Similarly, the number of persons recovering from the disease too jumped from 67,997 to 73,901 till yesterday.

The death toll increased from 1,074 to 1,098 during the same period. A total of two fatalities were reported in December last year, while 24 deaths have already been reported from the district in the past 20 days.

During a random survey of the markets in the city and other places in the district, every other person was found moving without a mask, thus exposing themselves to the deadly virus.

Civil Surgeon Adarshpal Kaur said people should also understand their responsibility and follow the basic Covid guidelines like wearing a mask, keeping social distance and washing hands frequently. She said since the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, was very infectious and spread faster than the Delta variant, people need to follow the Covid guidelines and all beneficiaries, including those in the age group of 15 to 18 years, need to be fully vaccinated.

In case of persistent cough, cold, fever, etc, one should visit a government health facility and seek the advice of a doctor and get a Covid test done. People should step out of the house only when there was an urgent need and should avoid unnecessary travel and crowds, she added.

Covid hotspots

With 1,171 cases in the past five days, the Dhakoli area of Zirakpur has become a Covid-19 hotspot. The Kharar subdivision has become another Covid hotspot as it reported 1,196 cases in the past five days.