Amidst a surge in the novel coronavirus cases reported since past few days in Punjab, the Central Government has deputed a high-level team to the State to support it in Covid-19 response and management.
Notably, Punjab’s mortality rate has remained constant above three per cent — at 3.14 or 3.15 per cent — since past month, even during the time the State witnessed a noticeable dip in the number of cases reported daily. On Sunday too, the State recorded a fatality rate of 3.15 per cent against the national average of 1.46 percent.
Moreover, the State’s recovery rate has come down to 92.25 per cent, with the active cases once again witnessing an increase from around three per cent in October end to 4.60 per cent on Sunday.
If that is not all, the State’s positivity rate has also increased to 3.47 per cent, against below two percent (1.96 percent) reported on November 1. And that too despite the fact that Punjab has not been collecting samples and conducting tests as per its capacity.
Sample This: In the month of November alone, Punjab has, on an average, reported 572 cases and 19 casualties every day. In fact, in the past week, the State has reported, on an average, 686 cases and 23 deaths every day. In all, 158 fatalities and 4802 cases were reported in Punjab in the past seven days.
“We had been able to control the pandemic to a great extent. As was expected, the cases have started to rise, but that was not a sharp surge but a gradual one, though the steady number of deaths is a cause of worry. However, the state is all prepared to deal with any situation while steps are being taken to control the spread,” a senior official of the Health Department, who did not wish to be named, told The Pioneer.
The official admitted that the State has not been testing as per its capacity, while asserting that the testing will be ramped up in the coming days. “The testing was reduced in the past days because of holidays during festivals, but we are again going to enhance the testing,” said the official.
Notably, the experts have attributed the low number of daily cases to the low testing
The official informed that the Centre, considering the slow rise in the daily cases and steady rise in active cases across the country, has been closely monitoring the situation and is assisting the states which are either reporting a rise in the number of active cases, or demonstrating a rise in the daily new cases of coronavirus infections.
“Earlier, the central teams were sent to the most-affected states, including Haryana. Now, the Centre has decided to depute its teams in the states, especially districts, which have been reporting high number of cases,” said the official.The Centre’s teams, comprising three experts, will visit the State, mainly the districts which have been witnessing a rise in number of COVID-19 cases. In Punjab, the central team is expected to visit Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Amritsar, among others.
