Record four COVID-19 deaths in HP in one day; 167 new cases

Of the 1,478 active COVID-19 cases in the state, Solan has the highest number at 460, followed by Kullu (166), Mandi (141), Kangra (126), Bilaspur (122), Sirmaur (121), Chamba (92), Una (82), Hamirpur (80), Shimla (62), Kinnaur (23) and Lahaul-Spiti (3).

Himachal Pradesh on Saturday recorded 167 fresh COVID-19 cases, including a doctor in Kullu district, raising the infection tally to 4,896 while the death toll from the disease climbed to 28 with record four fatalities in a day. The total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 1,478, Shimla Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.

Of the new fatalities, three were reported in Solan district while one in Mandi. A 75-year-old coronavirus positive woman from Solan's BBN area died at Shimla's Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) on Saturday morning, a district official said.

Besides, a 55-year-old man, who had tested positive for COVID-19 and was complaining of chest pain, died at a Solan hospital, the official added. A 34-year-old woman also succumbed to the virus in Solan, he added.

In Mandi, an 80-year-old man from Sardwar village of Balh tehsil died at Nerchowk's Sri Lal Bahadur Shashtri Government Medical College and Hospital (SLBSGMCH) on Saturday at 8.45 pm, a district official said. He was admitted at severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) ward in Nerchowk's Medical College after referral from Mandi zonal hospital on Friday evening.

The patient's samples were taken after his death and he was found COVID-19 positive on Saturday evening, the official added. Of the total fatalities linked to COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh, Mandi accounts for a maximum of seven, followed by six in Solan, five in Kangra, four in Hamirpur, three in Chamba, two in Shimla and one in Sirmaur.

The total COVID-19 fatality count in Himachal Pradesh includes that of a 70-year-old Delhi woman, who had stayed at a factory guest house in Baddi in Solan. She died at the PGIMER in Chandigarh on April 2. The state health department initially showed her death in its records but it stopped doing so later, stating that according to protocols, her death should be included in Chandigarh, where she had tested positive for the disease.

On the contrary, authorities in Chandigarh said the death of the woman should be included in the records of Himachal Pradesh, from where she was referred. Of the 167 fresh cases, 53 were reported from Solan, 43 from Bilaspur, 26 from Hamirpur, 17 from Kangra, eight from Kullu, six from Shimla, five from Mandi, four from Kinnaur, two from Chamba and one each from Una, Sirmaur and Lahaul-Spiti, Dhiman said.

A 34-year-old woman doctor, who had been on COVID-duty and was quarantined, was among the fresh cases in Kullu, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said. As many as 107 more COVID-19 patients -- 29 in Solan, 17 in Sirmaur, 14 in Hamirpur, 12 in Kullu, 11 in Mandi, seven in Una, six in Kinnaur, five each in Kangra and Shimla and one in Chamba -- have recovered from the infection, he said.

With this, the total number of recoveries in the state has risen to 3,341, Dhiman said, adding that 47 patients have migrated out of the state. Of the 1,478 active COVID-19 cases in the state, Solan has the highest number at 460, followed by Kullu (166), Mandi (141), Kangra (126), Bilaspur (122), Sirmaur (121), Chamba (92), Una (82), Hamirpur (80), Shimla (62), Kinnaur (23) and Lahaul-Spiti (3).