COVID-19: Three more test positive; total cases climb to 39 in Himachal Pradesh

Three more persons tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh to 39, officials said.

Two persons from Hamirpur district and one from Chamba district tested positive, they added.

Hamirpur deputy commissioner Harikesh Meena confirmed that two cases tested positive from the district on Friday. Their contact history was being ascertained, he added.

Till Thursday, there was no COVID-19 positive case in Hamirpur district.

With the new cases, total positive cases have been found in six of the 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh -- Kangra, Una, Solan, Chamba, Sirmaur and Hamirpur.

Meanwhile, additional chief secretary (health) RD Dhiman said a person who hails from Chamba district tested positive at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Kangra district.

His travel or contact history could not be immediately known, he added.

A total of 393 samples were tested on Friday at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) Shimla, Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Tanda and the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli.

While the three of them tested positive, 176 have tested negative. Reports of the rest 214 samples are still awaited, a health official said.

The number of active cases in the state has risen to 21. They are being treated in various hospitals of the state.

Twelve patients - three each from Chamba, Kangra, Una and Solan districts - have recovered.

Four were shifted to a private hospital outside Himachal Pradesh, while two have died.

The two deaths include a 70-year-old woman from Delhi who had been staying in Baddi since March 15 and tested positive and died at PGIMER, Chandigarh on April 2.