Even as state’s positivity rate further dropped to 5.12%, the case fatality rate (CFR) continues to remain the highest in the country at 2.53%.
The vaccination for phase-I and phase-II beneficiaries (healthcare workers, frontline workers and 45+ population) is expected to resume across all centres in Punjab from Saturday as the state received fresh supply of free 1.50 lakh doses from the Centre, Friday. This includes 1 lakh doses of Covishield and 50,000 doses of Covaxin.
For the past two days, vaccination for 45+ had stopped in most of the centres.
Meanwhile, the daily case count continued to nosedive Friday as the state recorded 3,724 fresh cases and 148 deaths in the past 24 hours, as per the government bulletin.
Even as state’s positivity rate further dropped to 5.12%, the case fatality rate (CFR) continues to remain the highest in the country at 2.53%.
The number of fresh recoveries (6,797) exceeded the number of new cases.
With 148 more deaths, the Covid toll reached 14,180. The total number of confirmed positive cases in stands at 5,59,795 and the number of active cases at 44,964. A total of 369 patients are on ventilator support and 5,302 on oxygen support.
As per the district-wise break-up of 148 deaths, maximum 20 died in Ludhiana followed by Amritsar (19), Sangrur (13), Jalandhar (10), Patiala (9), Muktsar and Bathinda (7), Faridkot, SAS Nagar and Mansa (6 each), Fazilka, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur (5 each), Fatehgarh Sahib, Pathankot, Ropar, Tarn Taran and Kapurthala (4 each), Hoshiarpur and Moga (3 each) and Barnala and SBS Nagar (2 each).
The highest number of fresh cases were reported from Jalandhar (497) followed by Ludhiana (416), Fazilka (278), Bathinda (247) and Patiala (223).
A total of 17, 644 doses (1 and 2 combined) of vaccine were administered in Punjab in the day.
A total of 233 cases of mucormycosis (black fungus) have been reported in Punjab till now and 33 have died due to the disease, as per the bulletin.
Revised guidelines for home isolation:
The Punjab government on Friday issued revised guidelines for home isolation of mild/asymptomatic Covid-19 cases.
Health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that as per Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, patient under home isolation will stand discharged and end isolation after at least 10 days have passed from onset of symptoms (or from date of sampling for asymptomatic cases) and no fever for 3 days. There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over.
The health minister said that elderly patients aged over 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung/liver/kidney disease, cerebro-vascular disease etc. shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer.
He further said that the decision to prescribe Remdesivir or any other investigational therapy must be taken by a medical professional and administered only in a hospital setting. He appealed to people that they should not attempt to procure or administer Remdesivir at home.
