14 new COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh, tally up to 296

(Eds: Updating with more cases)

Shimla, May 29 () Fourteen more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Friday, taking the number of coronavirus cases in the state to 296, officials said.

Meanwhile, 10 more persons in the state including four each in Hamirpur and Kangra and two in Una were cured of the disease, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.

Of the fresh cases, eight were reported from Hamirpur, five from Kangra and one from Una, he added.

In Hamirpur, four of the eight fresh cases had returned from Delhi, two from Gujarat and one each from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said.

The Gujarat returnees are a couple -- a 31-year-old man and his 28-year-old wife -- from Mahal. They had recently arrived here from Ahmedabad and were placed under institutional quarantine at a college in Nadaun, the DC said.

The other three are a 34-year-old man quarantined at a school in Bakarti after returning from Delhi, a 32-year-old woman placed under quarantine in a Nadaun hotel after coming back from Mumbai and a 57-year-old man quarantined at a school in Laliyar after returning from Rajasthan's Kota.

The Hamirpur DC said their samples were taken on May 26 and the reports arrived on Friday morning.

The three men found positive in the evening health bulletin were Delhi returnees. They include a 27-year-old man from Bir-Bagehra, a 37-year-old man from Nalwai (Galore) and a 55-year-old-man from Kalwal village of Bijheri, he added.

Hamirpur now has 101 COVID-19 cases, over one-third of the total reported in HP, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said, adding that 87 of these are active and one person has died of the disease whereas 13 have recovered.

In Kangra, three Maharashtra returnees and two Delhi returnees tested positive on Friday, Kangra Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan said.

With this, the count in Kangra district rises to 74. Forty-nine of these are active cases, 24 patients have recovered and one has died.

In Una, a person tested positive on Friday evening.

The number of active cases in the state now stands at 203. While 87 COVID-19 patients have recovered, six have died.

Hamirpur has the highest number of active cases at 87, followed by 49 in Kangra, 14 each in Una and Solan, 11 in Bilaspur, nine each in Chamba and Mandi, seven in Shimla, two in Sirmaur and one in Kullu. DJI HDA