At 2.5%, Punjab has fifth highest Covid fatality rate in country

The national average Covid fatality rate was 2 per cent as of Tuesday.

Punjab recorded 636 Covid deaths and 25,889 positive cases till Tuesday, while neighbouring Haryana had a one per cent fatality rate with 500 deaths and 43,227 positive cases.

In a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed that the battle against the contagion could be won only if states take local measures in fight against Covid-19.

Punjab has been attributing higher number of positive cases to increased testing and fatalities largely to patients turning up for treatment at terminal stage and majority of the deaths to co-morbid conditions.

The state government has recently also appointed officers for tracking and monitoring Covid patients at an early stage to check mortality rate by ensuring timely isolation and treatment.

More than 51 per cent of the new cases in the state have been reported in less than two fortnights.

As the ourbreak began, most cases reported in Punjab were of the NRIs, followed by Nanded Sahib returnee pilgrims. But as testing increased in the state, in the recent days, there has been a sharp spike in cases.

The recent days also registered a sharp spike in Covid-19 deaths as 322 of the 636 deaths, more than 50 per cent, were reported between July 27 and August 11.

Punjab is positioned at 18th position in terms of cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak with 25,889 cases. In terms of active cases, it is at 16th position with 8,463 active cases by August 11. In terms of recovery, it holds the 13th position with Kerala with 65 per cent recovery of cases.