 "Himachal Pradesh coronavirus update: 5 deaths, 199 fresh virus cases")
Five more people died from coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, taking the death toll to 46, while a record 199 daily cases pushed the state's infection tally to 6,616.
State Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur is among those who tested positive for the virus.
According to a state Health Department data, all five deaths were reported from Solan district.
A 35-year-old HR manager in a pharma company had a severe chest pain and died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said, adding that he was found COVID positive after his demise. He was a resident of Nalagarh.
The special secretary said a 45-year-old spinning mill worker too succumbed to the virus. He belonged to Uttar Pradesh's Ballia and has been residing at Khera village in Nalagarh for over two decades, the official said.
An 80-year-old man of Kalka died in Solan on Tuesday. He too was found coronavirus positive after death.
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A 28-year-old man was brought dead to the Nalagarh community health centre (CHC), he said, adding that later he was found suffering from the infection.
A 56-year-old man from the Housing Board colony in Nalagarh died at the Chandigarh's PGIMER on Tuesday, he added.
Solan accounts for 14 of the total COVID-19 deaths in the state, followed by Kangra (8), Mandi (7), Hamirpur (5), Chamba and Shimla (4 each), Una (3) and Sirmaur (2).
Of the fresh 199 cases, 52 were reported from Sirmaur, 41 from Solan, 40 from Kangra, 19 from Una, 13 each from Bilaspur and Hamirpur, 11 from Shimla, six from Kinnaur, two from Kullu and one each from Chamba and Mandi, Jindal said.
The number of active cases in the state stands at 1,708, Jindal said.
Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur tested positive for the infection just four days ahead of the monsoon session of the assembly.
Singh, 70, in a Facebook post urged people who came in his contact recently to quarantine themselves and get themselves tested.
The legislator from Mandi's Dharampur said he had got himself tested after observing primary symptoms. The seven-time MLA expressed hope that he would recover soon.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly will have a 12-day session from September 7.
Earlier, Power Minister Sukhram Chaudhary and Doon MLA Paramjeet Singh had tested positive. Both recovered from the infection a few days ago.
Meanwhile, 98 more patients recovered from the infection-- 22 in Sirmaur, 21 in Bilaspur, 14 in Kangra, eight in Kinnaur, seven each in Solan and Hamirpur, six each in Chamba and Shimla, five in Mandi and two in Kullu.
With this, the total number of recoveries in the state has risen to 4,814, Jindal said, adding that 45 patients have migrated out of the state.
Solan has the highest number of active cases in the state at 348, followed by Sirmaur (330), Kangra (293), Una (170), Hamirpur (148), Bilaspur (130), Shimla (110), Chamba (79), Kullu (46), Kinnaur (32), Mandi (21) and Lahaul-Spiti (one).