Mohali saw 48% rise in Covid deaths in December - Hindustan Times
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Mohali saw 48% rise in Covid deaths in December

ByHillary Victor and Amanjeet Singh Salyal, Mohali/chandigarh
Jan 01, 2021 11:51 PM IST

In Chandigarh, both cases and deaths were lowest in five months

The number of Covid-19 fatalities in Mohali district went up 48% in December as compared to November even as the number of fresh cases dropped by 6% in the same period.

While 2,944 people tested positive and 62 succumbed to the virus in December, the numbers stood at 3,140 and 42, respectively, in November.

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Mohali city continued to account for the bulk of cases, with 2,502 (85%) in December . Meanwhile, recovery rate improved in December, going up to 92% from 87% in November. In October, it stood at 93.7%.

“The reason for high number of deaths is that people are not taking precautions,” said Dr GB Singh, who took over as the Punjab health director on Friday after his tenure as the Mohali civil surgeon ended on New Year’s Eve.

“People are not approaching hospitals and prefer to take medicine at home. They turn up at hospital only when their oxygen level goes down, making the case complicated. Also, most patients who died were having comorbidities,” he said.

Dr Harmandeep Kaur Brar, nodal officer for Covid-19, raised concern over people not wearing masks in public places, especially in Mohali city. Aashika Jain, additional district commissioner, said sampling has been increased in the district with round-the-clock availability of a team at the district hospital.

Chandigarh faring much better

Seeing a decline in the impact of Covid-19, the number of virus-related fatalities and infections in Chandigarh remained at a five-month low in December 2020.

The UT had recorded its first case on March 18 last year following which strict curfew and lockdown was implemented. As the restrictions eased, the number of cases as well as deaths started increasing in August and reached a peak in September. The numbers decreased marginally during the festival season in November, declining further in December.

In December, 40 deaths were reported, a decrease of around 25% with respect to November when 51 positive patients had died. September witnessed the highest (106) deaths.

“Proper supervision and alertness is essential when one tests positive irrespective of age. However, extra caution is essential for elderly residents. To stop the disease from worsening, one should keep monitoring the oxygen saturation level and immediately reach out for help when the oxygen saturation level falls below 95%,” said Dr Amandeep Kaur Kang, director of UT health department.

She said that the declining trend is expected to continue if proper precautions are undertaken in the wake of the new variant of Covid-19.

The stress on health institutions has also decreased with only one Covid care centre functional nowadays. On the other hand, hospitals are seeing less admission as well. At Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, only 26 residents are currently admitted.

The positivity rate has also seen a declining trend with the number of cases decreasing with a corresponding increase in tests conducted. December reported around 6% positivity rate which was among the lowest in the past few months.

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