2 deaths in 24 hrs take toll to 16 in Punjab; 19 new cases

Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra said, of the 15 cases, nine were relatives of bookseller who had earlier tested positive. The others were contacts of a coronavirus positive woman from Rajpura.

Ludhiana ACP (North) Anil Kohli, who was diagnosed with coronavirus on April 13, died at SPS Hospital in Ludhiana Saturday. Dr Rajiv Kundra, Medical superintendent, SPS Hospital, said that 52-year old officer had a multiple organ failure, leading to cardiac arrest.

It is the second death in the state within a period of 24-hours. A 58-year-old revenue official died of the infection on Friday. One patient is in critical condition and on ventilator support, a government bulletin said, adding 31 patients have been discharged from hospitals so far.

In the fresh case reported from Ludhiana, an assistant sub-Inspector (ASI) tested positive Friday late. He is otherwise a native of district Gurdaspur. He is direct contact of sub-inspector SHO Basti Jodhewal tested positive earlier (she was ACP’s contact). With ASI testing positive, total positive cases in Ludhiana police rose to four including ACP, his gunman and SHO.

Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Kulwant Singh said 45 primary contacts of ACP gunman, who too was tested positive, have been traced and their samples collected for testing. “Ten of his high risk contacts, including wife, one-and-a-half year old son, parents, in-laws and cousins, have been put in isolation ward of Ferozepur civil hospital and the rest are in home quarantine,” said Kulwant Singh.

The gunman had reached his native village Warabhaika in Ferozepur on April 14 morning, but Ferozepur administration got information about him on April 15. “We got information that concerned person is a contact of positive patient and it was not informed that his samples had already been taken,” the DC said.

Intriguingly, Ludhiana administration allowed the gunman to leave station after his samples were taken. Ferozepur DC said, “He had isolated himself on April 14 and 15 but on April 16 he got call from a colleague in Ludhiana that he was tested negative. Subsequently, he played cricket in village, used village gym, went to gurdwara and to a nearby village to visit his in-laws. However on April 17, his report returned positive due to which our zero case district reported its first case. We are also making report of secondary contacts as well. His village has been made a containment zone and the entire village is being screened now.” The gunman himself is asymptomatic as of now.

Another gunman of ACP was dropped at Jakhepal village of Sangrur district. “We got information that his tests need to be repeated as he had travelled with a patient who has tested positive. We have taken his sample and five members of his family have been isolated at home only. He is in Sunam civil hospital,” told Sangrur District Epidemiologist Dr Upasna Bindra.

The three new cases in Jalandhar include daughter, son-in-law and grandson of a infected 70-year-old man from Basti Danishmanda. His two granddaughters, aged 8 and 9 years old, had tested positive earlier. 70-year old has no known history of international travel or contact with an infected person.

Ludhiana DC Pardeep Aggarwal has quarantined himself as precautionary measure. “I will be doing administrative works as normal, but will not be conducting physical meetings, he said in a statement.

With ENS Ludhiana and Jalandhar

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