CHANDIGARH: The city on Sunday recorded its highest single-day surge of Covid-19 cases of 46 after February 16 when 57 infections were reported.
The positivity rate reached 3.83% on Sunday. The active cases are 196. Patients on oxygen support have doubled from six to 12. Two patients in PGI are on ventilators.
The positivity rate has been increasing with the rise in daily cases within a week. “After almost four months, there has been a rapid rise in cases. There was only one patient on the ventilator 12 days ago. This increase should not be taken lightly. One must adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour,” said an expert.
On Sunday, 24 patients were discharged. The confirmed cases are 92,735, including 1,165 deaths, while the recovery count is 91,374. “The testing has been above 1,500 on an average, which has been able to detect cases and prevent further transmission,” said an official in the health department.
Experts from IIT, Kanpur, had predicted the start of the fourth wave during the end of June. “Seeing uptick in cases and positivity rate from 1.7% to 3.8% within 12 days, there is all probability the cases will increase. We still cannot call it the fourth wave and have to wait and watch. Residents must be cautious and wear masks,” said Dr Suman Singh, director health services, UT.
