Covid tally above 800-mark, 38 new cases surface in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: The novel coronavirus infection is refusing to ebb with 38 new cases being detected on Sunday, pushing the city’s tally further up above the 800-mark — to 805.
A disturbing fact emerging from the analysis of figures is that 50% of total cases since corona outbreak in city on March 11have been reported in June — after relaxation in lockdown.

The infection rate is showing no sign of flattening as the first 400 cases were reported in 80 days, while the second 400 came up in just 21 days — in one-fourth time.
However, the reprieve is that 489 patients, about 63% of total cases so far, recovered and were discharged, and only 14 lost the Covid battle and could not survive.
The cases detected on Sunday include 18 PAC jawans, three health workers, two more contacts of the infected Samajwadi Party MLA, a 108 ambulance call centre employee and a news channel journalist. Among health workers, a KGMU staff nurse was found positive when she got herself tested before treatment of a dental problem, while a staff nurse of Jhalkari Bai Women Hospital (JBWH) tested positive after developing flu-like symptoms. The KGMU nurse was deployed in the cardiology department’s ICU where 19 critical patients are under treatment at present.
“All the ICU patients and staff will be tested, while new patients will be admitted in another ward,” said KGMU spokesman Dr Sudhir Singh.
The JBWH nurse was deployed in the emergency ward. “All the staff members deputed in emergency will be tested. Admissions in emergency ward have been stopped for 36 hours for sanitisation. Work in the rest of the hospital will continue as usual,” said CMS Dr Sudha Verma. So far, 45 health workers, including five from KGMU, have tested positive in the city.
Meanwhile, the daughter and nephew of SP MLA, resident of Mall Avenue, were also found infected, taking number of family members having Covid-19 to six. The MLA had tested positive last Tuesday.
The 108 call centre employee was on leave since June 14 and was tested after he was found running high temperature on resuming duty on June 19. Besides, four family members of a patient in Malihabad, who died on June 19, also tested positive.