71 fresh infections in district, tally 1,591

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 18

As many as 71 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in Jalandhar on Saturday, following which the district tally has gone up to 1,591. Forty of them are contacts of positive cases, while 18 are new cases. In Jalandhar, the total number of active cases, who are admitted to the Civil Hospital, has risen to 109. Now, the total number of active cases in the district is 573. Of them, 39 are BSF personnel. As many as 99 people in the district have been placed under home isolation.

A total of 33,497 people have been sampled in the district so far, out of which 1,591 are positive and 30,502 are negative. A total of 992 people have been discharged and the reports 1,131 are still awaited. The death toll stands at 32 in the district.

11 BSF jawans among 12 new positive in Hoshiarpur

The number of Covid-19 victims increased by 12 in the district on Saturday. Civil Surgeon Dr Jasvir Singh said the reports of 697 samples were received on Saturday from VDRL Lab, Amritsar, of which 12 Covid-19 positive cases were reported. With this, the total positive cases in the district have increased to 266. Of the 12 positive cases found on Saturday, 11 are BSF personnel from Sub Training Centre, Kharakn Camp, while one case is from Saila Khurd area under PHC Posi.

So far, 21,231 samples of Covid-19 suspects have been collected in the district, of which 19,580 have been negative and the reports of 1,378 samples are awaited, while 30 samples have been found invalid. So far, eight Covid-19 victims have died in the district and it now has 68 active cases, while 189 people have been cured of the coronavirus. — OC

Get immunity booster kits

Jalandhar: To boost the immunity of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel deployed at the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, the Field Outreach Bureau (FOB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Jalandhar, gave 1,000 ayurvedic immunity booster kits to them through the Punjab Ayurvedic Department.

The idea to provide the natural immunity boosters was especially conceptualised by the FOB keeping in view the present Covid-19 situation in the country. Since the BSF personnel are in the first line of defence, manning the Punjab border round the clock, these herbal boosters would help them in enhancing their body’s natural defence system that plays an important role in maintaining optimum health.

Field publicity officer Rajesh Bali along with Jalandhar district ayurvedic officer Dr Joginder Pal presented 1,000 immunity boosters kits to Mahipal Yadav, Inspector General, BSF, Punjab Frontier, on the BSF campus, on Saturday.

Dr Rakesh Sharma, director, Ayurvedic Department, Punjab, said: “It’s a proud moment for the department to extend the services to BSF, which is securing our borders so that we can live peacefully without any fear.” He said the immunity booster, which is especially made for frontline workers, is in the form of decoction (kadha). It is made from tulsi (basil), dalchini (cinnamon), kali mirch (black pepper) and saunth (dry ginger). It may be taken once or twice a day after boiling in water or tea. He also assured to provide more such kits at regular intervals. — TNS

58-year-old man dies of Covid-19 in Hoshiarpur

A 58-year-old man, a resident of Ahiyapur village, died of Covid-19 at a private hospital in Jalandhar on Saturday. He was cremated late in the evening following the Covid-19 protocols at the cremation ground of Ahiyapur village near Tanda. He was admitted to a hospital with a serious illness and died this morning, later his Covid-19 test report came positive. He was cremated by the Health Department team. The death has risen to 9 in the district. — OC

Phagwara MLA tests +ve

Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal on Saturday tested positive for Covid-19 here. The MLA’s report came out positive a few days after his son tested positive on July 13. Both have been placed under home isolation. With one fresh case, the total number of positive cases has risen to 149 in Kapurthala district. The total number of active cases is 27. As many as 114 patients have been discharged in the district so far. Dr Sandeep Dhawan, in-charge, isolation centre, Phagwara, said, “The samples of 19 contacts of the MLA had been taken today. Samples of others persons would also be taken soon. The MLA is currently under home quarantine.” TNS