CHANDIGARH: Amid complaints of mass violations of Covid curbs at weddings and parties, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered restriction of 100 on indoor and 250 on outdoor gatherings in the state, with extension of night curfew in all cities and towns, till 1 January 2021. He also directed DGP Dinkar Gupta to strictly enforce the restrictions at marriage palaces and other places, with penalties to be imposed on the hosts in case of deviance.
Taking cognisance of the high case fatality rate in the state, the Chief Minister also extended curfew restrictions (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) till January 1. The night curfew was earlier imposed from December 1 to December 15. Chairing a high-level Covid review meeting, the Chief Minister also ordered an end to home quarantine for those above the age of 70 with co-morbidities, unless adequate medical facilities can be made available at home.
Health Secretary Hussan Lal pointed out during the virtual meeting that a large number of Covid deaths were also being reported from home isolation cases. To further check fatality, the Chief Minister also ordered a thorough check of all private hospitals to ensure that only those with adequate Level 3 infrastructure and manpower be allowed to admit Covid patients. Hospitals lacking such facilities should refer patients to other hospitals, he said.
Though the declining positivity trend in Punjab over the past 3 weeks was welcome, the fatality rate remained a matter of concern, said Captain Amarinder, directing the DGP to ensure strict compliance to Covid safety protocols, including wearing of masks and social distancing. He also asked the Health Department to maintain the 30000/day RTPCR sampling/testing limit, with more smart and targeted sampling to include potential super spreaders. The Chief Minister also asked the Health Department to monitor the health of the farmers who are returning from Delhi in view of the risk to them due to the high case load there.
Dr K.K. Talwar, Health Advisor to Government of Punjab, apprised the meeting of the steps being taken to further reduce mortality. Pointing out that CFR was still a matter of concern even though it had come down to 3.2% in November, he said patients on monitors were being constantly watched, while detailed mortality analysis was being done hospital-wise every week.
2ND SERO SURVEY FINDS 24.19% POSITIVITY
A total of 24.19% of Punjab’s population has been infected by Covid, as per the second Sero-Survey conducted in 12 districts of the state. Sharing the findings of the survey, conducted among randomly selected districts and population, Health Secretary Hussan Lal informed in the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh that a total of 4678 participants were interviewed and their blood samples collected. Of these, 1201 tested IgG reactive, of which only 4.03% were symptomatic and 95.9% were asymptomatic.
Urban areas showed positive rate of 30.5%, while rural areas reported 21.0% positivity. Ludhiana, with 54.6% total positivity and 71.7% urban positivity was found to be the worst hit, followed by Ferozepur, Jalandhar and SAS Nagar (Mohali). Female positivity was found to be higher in both urban and rural areas.
STATE GEARS FOR COVID VACCINE ROLL-OUT WITH TOTAL OF 729 COLD CHAIN POINTS
As state gears up for the mega exercise with a total of 729 cold chain points, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday directed the Health Department to incorporate the results of the 2nd sero survey in the state’s strategy for Covid vaccine roll-out so that the high-risk population is covered first. Chief Minister noted the state’s readiness for the vaccine rollout in terms of database of priority lists; infrastructure for cold chain management; identification and training of vaccinators, etc.
Besides one state-level vaccine store, 22 district vaccine stores and 127 block level vaccine stories are being prepared for the roll-out of the vaccine in Punjab, which will also have 570 cold chain points. Besides one walk-in freezer at Ferozepur, the Government of India has decided to provide one more at Chandigarh. In addition, the state will have one walk-in cooler each at Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur, with more to be received from the Centre. In addition, the state has 1165 Ice Lined Refrigerators and 1079 Deep Freezers.