Coronavirus: Punjab reports two deaths, 16 new cases

Kapurthala, Pathankot each report one death, death toll rises to 37, case count 1,980

Tribune Web Desk

Updated At : 09:11 PM May 18, 2020 IST

Tribune News Service
Kapurthala/Pathankot/Chandigarh, May 18

Punjab reported two deaths and 16 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the state’s COVID-19 count closer to 2,000.

Kapurthala and Pathankot each reported coronavirus deaths on Monday, taking Punjab’s COVID-19 death toll to 37.

A 50-year-old man from Kapurthala’s Bagria village died of the COVID-19 infection after he had tested positive. Authorities in Pathakot reported the death of a 35-year-old auto-driver who had been critical and had been referred to a hospital in Amritsar. This takes Pathankot district’s death toll to two and Kapurthala’s to three.

Ludhiana (6), Hoshairpur (3), Jalandhar (2), Faridkot (2), Kapurthala (1), Tarn Taran (1), and Gurdaspur (1) all reported new cases.

Five of the 16 new cases in Punjab were people who just returned from abroad.

Of Ludhiana’s six new coronavirus cases, four were contacts of already diagnosed cases. Gurdaspur also reported one contact of an already diagnosed patient having tested positive.

All of Tarn Taran and Jalandhar’s cases were those two had recently returned from abroad. Hoshiarpur also reported two such cases.

Punjab’s COVID-19 infection tally now stands at 1,980.

As things stand, Amritsar still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 307.

This is the district-wise break up of cases—Amritsar (307), Jalandhar (209), Tarn Taran (155), Ludhiana (150), Gurdaspur (123), SBS Nagar (106), SAS Nagar (102), Patiala (100), Hoshiarpur (95), Sangrur (88), Muktsar (65), Faridkot (61), Ropar (60), Moga (59), Fatehgarh Sahib (56), Ferozepur (44), Fazilka (44), Bathinda (41), Mansa (32), Pathankot (29), Kapurthala (33), and Barnala (21).

Eight districts have over 100 cases—Amritsar, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, SBS Nagar, SAS Nagar and Patiala—and account for over 63 per cent of Punjab’s total case count.

The states death toll now stands as: Ludhiana (7), Jalandhar (5), Amritsar (4), Hoshiarpur (4), Gurdaspur (3), SAS Nagar (3), Kapurthala (3), Pathakot (2), Patiala (2), SBS Nagar (1), Ropar (1), Ferozepur (1), and Barnala (1).

Meanwhile, in Pathankot, a junior resident doctor involved in treating COVID-19 patients in Government Medical College and Hospital tested positive. He had been attending to Nanded pilgrims who had tested positive. The doctor himself was in quarantine since the last few days.

This case has yet to be counted in the state’s tally.