Punjab reports 150 new cases, six new deaths, state tally shoots past 5,500

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 30

Punjab reported 150 new coronavirus cases and six more deaths within 24 hours, taking the state count to 5,568.

Amritsar reported three of five deaths on Tuesday. Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala each reported one death, the state’s COVID bulletin showed.

At 45, Ludhiana also reported the highest number of cases of any district on Tuesday. Jalandhar (26) and Sangrur (22) also continued to report a high number of coronavirus infections.

The three districts, in fact, accounted for 62 per cent of the state’s 150 cases on Tuesday.

SAS Nagar (11), Fatehgarh Sahib (9), Amritsar (7), Moga (7), Patiala (3), Kapurthala (6)Gurdaspur (1), Pathankot (5), Hoshiarpur (4), Bathinda (2), SBS Nagar (1), and Ropar (1) made up the rest of Tuesday’s numbers.

Thirty of Ludhiana’s 45 cases were contacts of already diagnosed cases. Six were categorised as influenza-like illness (ILI). Seven of the cases were OPD patients. One was categorised as ANC and the last was a patient with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).

The latest development takes Ludhiana’s cases past 800.   

Jalandhar’s 26 included two were domestic travellers, two contacts of diagnosed cases and four new cases with no contact and no travel history.

The bulletin said that the state was still compiling information for the rest of Jalandhar’s new cases.   

Sangrur continues to worryingly report a high number of cases. Five of Sangrur’s 22 cases were new cases with no contact or travel history. Like in Jalandhar’s case, the bulletin said the state was still compiling information for the remaining cases in Sangrur.

Sangrur has been reporting a steady rise in COVID-19 cases since June 21, when the district’s COVID-19 cases stood at 206. The cases have more than doubled since, standing at 490 in the latest bulletin.

However, Sangrur administration reported 18 cases, although it’s unclear if this number is included in the state tally given on Tuesday.

SAS Nagar reported 11 new COVID-19 cases—all of them contacts of previously diagnosed cases.

Amritsar reported seven new coronavirus cases—one contact, two categorised as ILI and four self-reported cases.  Amritsar is now less than 100 infections away from breaching the 1000-mark.

The district-wise breakup for COVID-19 in Punjab stands as follows: Amritsar (911), Ludhiana (840), Jalandhar (738), Sangrur (490), Patiala (329), SAS Nagar (265), Gurdaspur (220), Pathankot (217), Tarn Taran (194), Hoshiarpur (178), SBS Nagar (141), Muktsar (127), Fatehgarh Sahib (120), Ropar (108), Faridkot (106), Moga (102),  Ferozepur (96), Kapurthala (96), Bathinda (92), Fazilka (91), Barnala (59), and Mansa (48).

Death toll stands thus: Amritsar (42), Ludhiana (21), Jalandhar (21), Sangrur (13), Patiala (9), SAS Nagar (3), Gurdaspur (4), Pathankot(6), Hoshiarpur (6), Kapurthala (5), Tarn Taran (3), Ferozepur (3), Bathinda (2), Moga (2), Barnala (2),  SBS Nagar (1), and Ropar (1), 

Three districts—Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar—account for 44 per cent of Punjab’s total cases and 58 per cent of its deaths.

Punjab has reported a significant rise in coronavirus cases in June. The state has more than twice the infections it had at the end of May, while deaths have tripled since, the state’s tally’s show.

About 2,301 cases—almost 69 per cent—of the state’s 3,335 cases reported in June have been reported in this past fortnight alone.

Punjab’s death toll now stands at 144.