One fresh COVID-19 case in HP; recovery rate rises to over 70 pc

Shimla, Jul 7 () A Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, even as the recovery rate climbed to over 70 per cent with 14 more patients getting cured of the infection, officials said.

A total of 764 patients have recovered from the disease, as of Tuesday evening, out of total 1,079 novel coronavirus cases, they said.

Eight of the 14 patients, who recovered from COVID-19, were from Kangra, followed by five from Shimla and one from Mandi district, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.

Kangra has a maximum of 219 recoveries in the state, followed by 195 in Hamirpur, 98 in Una, 74 in Solan, 47 in Chamba, 37 in Shimla, 34 in Bilaspur, 26 each in Mandi and Sirmaur, five in Kullu and three in Kinnaur.

Nearly 27 per cent of the cases or 290 patients are active and admitted to various COVID care centres of the state, Dhiman said.

He said the lone COVID-19 case reported in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday was from Kangra district.

A 30-year-old CAPF personnel tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati said.

A resident of Garli village in Rakkar tehsil, the CAPF personnel returned from Kerala on July 4, he said, adding he is being shifted to dedicated COVID care centre at Dadh.

Hamirpur has the most number of active COVID-19 cases in the state at 69, followed by 68 in Kangra, 41 in Solan, 31 in Kinnaur, 29 in Una, 14 in Bilaspur, 10 in Chamba, 8 in Mandi, seven each in Sirmaur and Shimla, four in Lahaul-Spiti and two in Kullu.

With 10 deaths, the COVID-19 fatality rate is less than one per cent in the state.

Three COVID-19 patients have died in Hamirpur, followed by two each in Shimla, Mandi and Kangra and one in Solan district.

The deaths include that of a Delhi resident 70-year-old woman, who had been staying at a factory's guest house in Baddi in Himachal Pradesh since March 15. She died at PGIMER Chandigarh on April 2.

Initially, Himachal Pradesh Health Department showed the death of the Delhi woman in its record, but it did not find a mention in the state record later. According to the department, the death of the woman, according to the protocol, should be included in Chandigarh Union Territory as she had tested positive for novel coronavirus there.

However, Chandigarh authorities say the deaths of the patients are included in the record of those places from where they are referred to PGIMER. DJI CK