2,901 new Covid cases in Punjab, positivity rate climbs to 11.75%

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

With Covid-19 spreading further in Punjab, the number of active cases in the state today stood at 9,425. As many as 2,901 new cases were reported today, with Patiala continuing to lead the surge in the state with 831 cases.

One death was reported from Hoshiarpur.

The positivity rate in Patiala has jumped to 33.05 per cent, meaning that every third person tested for the virus was found to be infected. As many as 2,514 samples were tested in the city.

In Patiala, Friday’s rise in the cases was the highest single-day increase since the pandemic broke out in 2020. Health officials estimated that the daily case count could go around 1,500 during the peak of the third wave. The district has reported 2,216 cases over the past three days. However, the Health Department said hospitalisations, despite an exponential rise, were around two per cent of the active cases.

The highest positivity rate of 35.48 per cent was reported from Bathinda, though the number of cases there is comparatively less at 149. The overall positivity rate in Punjab jumped a notch up to 11.75 per cent today, with 11 districts reporting a positivity rate of over 10 per cent.

In Ludhiana, in spite of a good vaccine coverage, as many as 22 doctors from the two prominent medical colleges in the city as well as those in the public sector have tested positive. The city reported 324 new cases.