Punjab's COVID-19 tally crosses 1000-mark, 55 pc are Nanded pilgrims

Punjab saw the steepest rise in the number of coronavirus cases on Sunday with 331 more persons, mostly pilgrims returning from Nanded, testing positive for the disease, officials said.

With the fresh detections, the number of COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 1,102.

At least 609 of the 4,000 pilgrims who have returned from Hazur Sahib gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded in recent days have tested positive for coronavirus, a heath official said.

The pilgrims account for 55 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in the state, he said.

Of the fresh cases, 75 were reported in Amritsar, followed by 62 in SBS Nagar, 46 in Hoshiarpur, 43 in Muktsar, 33 in Bathinda, 24 in Gurdaspur, nine in Rupnagar, three in Mansa, four each in Sangrur, Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib, two each in Mohali, Barnala and Ferozepur and one each in Patiala and Ludhiana, according to a health bulletin.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old, who was undergoing treatment at the Faridkot hospital, died on Sunday. His test report confirming him to be coronavirus positive came after his death. This is the first COVID-19 related death in the district.

The number of COVID-19 related deaths in the state now stands at 21.

Amritsar topped the COVID-19 tally in the state with 218 cases, followed by 124 in Jalandhar, 111 in Ludhiana, 95 in Mohali, 88 in Hoshiarpur, 86 in Patiala, 85 in SBS Nagar, 50 in Muktsar, 35 in Bathinda, 30 in Gurdaspur, 29 in Ferozepur, 28 in Moga, 25 in Pathankot, 16 each in Mansa and Fatehgarh Sahib, 14 each in Tarn Taran and Rupnagar, 13 in Kapurthala, six in Faridkot and four each in Fazilka and Barnala, the bulletin said.

Of the total 1,102 patients, 117 have been cured and 964 are undergoing treatment.

Two patients are critical and on ventilator support, according to the bulletin.

A total of 26,439 samples have been taken in the state so far, of which 20,197 are negative and reports of 5,140 awaited.