Punjab records another COVID-19 death, 8 new cases

A police officer died of COVID-19 infection in Punjab's Ludhiana on Saturday, taking number of fatalities to 16 as eight new cases surfaced in state, officials here said.

state's coronavirus count w stands at 219, of which 172 are active cases, according to a medical bulletin.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Kohli (52) died while undergoing treatment for disease at SPS hospital in afteron, Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Rajesh Bagga said.

It is second death in state within a period of 24 hours. A 58-year-old revenue official died of infection on Friday.

ACP Kohli h tested positive for coronavirus on April 12. On Friday, state government h decided to treat him with plasma rapy.

Among fresh cases, six were reported in Jalandhar and one each in Mohali and Gurdaspur, as per bulletin. Mohali topped COVID-19 tally in state, with 57 cases so far.

Jalandhar has reported 41 cases so far, followed by 24 in Pathankot, 19 in Nawanshahr, 15 in Ludhiana, 11 each in Mansa, Patiala and Amritsar, seven in Hoshiarpur, four in Moga, three each in Rupnagar, Sangrur and Faridkot, two each in Fatehgarh Sahib, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur and Barnala, and one each in Muktsar and Ferozepur.

One patient is in critical condition and on ventilator support, bulletin stated. Thirty-one patients have been discharged from hospitals so far.

A total of 6,167 samples have been taken for testing in state. Reports of 594 samples are still awaited, bulletin stated.

Meanwhile, two people tested positive for COVID-19 in Chandigarh, taking total count to 23 in Union territory.

A total of 394 samples have been taken so far. Reports of 22 are awaited. Eleven patients have been discharged after being cured, bulletin said.