Sixteen more Mumbai returnees test positive in Himachal; tally rises to 185

Sixteen more people tested positive for coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 185, officials said.

Of the 16 fresh cases, six are reported from Kangra, five from Solan, four from Mandi and one from Hamirpur district, they said.

Nine of the fresh cases are Mumbai returnees, five from West Bengal, whereas two are Jalandhar returnees, the officials said.

In Kangra, two women, aged 70 and 44, from Lambagaon, Jaisinghpur and Bhawarna, respectively tested positive, a district official said.

Similarly, three men, aged 48, 49 and 50, from Lambagaon Jaisinghpur, Palampur and Jaisinghpur, respectively tested positive on Saturday.

All of them arrived from Mumbai in a special train on May 18 and were quarantined at Paraur in Palampur subdivision.

The 70-year-old woman is being shifted to DCHC Dharamshala, whereas the rest of the four are being taken to PRI Baijnath.

Besides, a 68-year-old man, who arrived from Jalandhar and is presently admitted at SARI Tanda, has tested positive in Kangra district, the official said.

In Solan, five people, who had recently returned from West Bengal, tested positive, District Health Officer (DHO) N K Gupta said.

All of them were quarantined at Ramshehar, he added.

In Mandi, the four positive cases included three members of a family -- woman, her son and daughter. They were already in a quarantine centre, Chief Medical Officer Jeevanand Chauhan said.

The woman's husband also returned from Mumbai recently, but his report was negative, Chauhan said.

A 61-year-old taxi driver, resident of Mumbai, also tested positive for COVID-19. He brought some residents from the commercial capital a few days ago and was quarantined after symptoms of influenza-like illness, the official said.

In Hamirpur, a 72-year-old woman suffering from liver infection tested positive for COVID-19, Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Harikesh Meena said.

Hailing from Dugha village, she is the wife of a man who was also found positive two days ago.

She had also gone to Jalandhar for treatment but returned from there and was admitted to a local medical college for treatment.

The woman was referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla for treatment as her condition worsened. Her sample was taken there and she tested positive on Saturday, he said.

Meanwhile, one more person from Seedhi village of Kakker area in Hamirpur district has been cured and will soon be sent to his home for 14-day quarantine, the DC said.

The number of active cases of the deadly virus in the state is now 121 and 60 people have recovered so far, officials said.

Hamirpur has the maximum number of active COVID-19 cases at 55, followed by Kangra with 36, 10 in Solan, eight in Mandi, five in Bilaspur, two each in Sirmaur, Una and Chamba, and one in Kullu, the officials said.

Besides, four people have died of the diease in the state.