Migrant worker dies of COVID-19 in Punjab; four fresh cases take virus tally to 313

A 48-year-old migrant worker died of coronavirus in Punjab’s Jalandhar on Sunday, pushing the death toll to 18 in the state. Meanwhile, the number of infected patients soared to 313 with four more people testing positive for the infection.

The victim, who worked at a leather factory, had tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, an official said, adding that he also suffered from pneumonia.

According to a medical bulletin, three of the fresh cases were reported from Jalandhar while one was detected in Ludhiana.

Jalandhar district topped the COVID-19 tally in the state with 69 cases, followed by 63 in Mohali, the bulletin said.

Of the remaining cases, 61 have been reported from Patiala, 25 in Pathankot, 20 in SBS Nagar, 18 in Ludhiana, 14 in Amritsar, 13 in Mansa, seven in Hoshiarpur, four in Moga, three each in Rupnagar, Sangrur, Kapurthala and Faridkot, two each in Fatehgarh Sahib and Barnala, and one each in Muktsar, Gurdsapur and Ferozepur.

One patient is critical and still on ventilator support, the medical bulletin said, adding that so far 18 people have succumbed to the infection in the state.

It said 12 patients-–eight from Mohali and four from Pathankot--were discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of cured cases to 84 in the state.

There are 211 active cases in the state, it said.

A total of 14,317 samples have been taken so far in the state, of which 10,497 tested negative negative for the infection. Reports of 3,507 samples are still awaited.