HP reports two more COVID-19 deaths, 83 fresh cases

The COVID-19 death toll in Himachal Pradesh reached 20 on Wednesday with two more fatalities, while 83 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 4,319, officials said.

A 48-year-old man, who was declared brought dead at a medical college in Chamba on Tuesday afternoon, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, Chamba's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Rajesh Guleri said.

The CMO told PTI that samples had been taken from the body on Tuesday and the report was found positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Dr Guleri said the man had earlier been admitted to the medical college with diabetes and pneumonia on August 13, but he left the college on his own against medical advice the next day as he wanted to get himself treated at a Chandigarh hospital.

Later on Tuesday, he was being brought to the Chamba medical college when his condition deteriorated but he died before reaching the medical college at 12.30 pm.

In Kangra, a woman, who was COVID-19 positive, died at a Dharamshala hospital on Wednesday, Kangra’s CMO Dr Gurdarshan Gupta said.

She had a high fever and respiratory problem, he said, adding that it was being investigated whether she had any comorbidities.

With this, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh has risen to 20.

The deaths linked to COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh include that of a 70-year-old Delhi woman who had been staying at a factory's guest house at Baddi in Solan district since March 15. She tested positive for the infection and died at the PGIMER in Chandigarh on April 2.

The state health department initially showed her death in its record but it stopped doing so later stating that as per protocol, her death should be included in Chandigarh where she had tested positive.

On the contrary, Chandigarh authorities said her death should be included in the records of Himachal Pradesh from where she had been referred.

Of the fresh 83 cases, 21 were reported from Mandi, 20 Sirmaur, 16 from Kangra, 12 from Chamba, four each from Shimla and Kullu and three each from Una and Bilaspur, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said.

Meanwhile, 28 patients -- 14 in Kangra, seven in Una, three in Bilaspur, two in Chamba and one each in Shimla and Kullu-- recovered from the infection on Wednesday, Jindal said.

With this, the number of recovered patients has risen to 2,951. Forty patients have migrated out of the state, he added.

The number of active cases now stands at 1,306, he said.

Solan has the highest number of active cases in the state at 310, followed by 179 in Kullu, 147 in Mandi, 144 in Sirmaur, 115 in Kangra, 103 Una, 100 in Chamba, 78 in Shimla, 60 in Hamirpur, 53 in Bilaspur, 15 in Kinnaur and two in Lahaul-Spiti.