Coronavirus cases rise to 221 in Haryana

Coronavirus cases in Haryana rose to 221 on Friday, with Nuh and Panchkula districts reporting fresh cases.

While worst-hit Nuh reported five cases, Panchkula, which has seen a surge after nine members of a family earlier tested positive, reported two more cases, according to the state's health department bulletin.

In another development, a private doctor in Panchkula was booked by the police under relevant provisions of law for allegedly failing to inform state health authorities that he had been treating a suspected coronavirus patient. The woman later tested positive.

The 44-year-old woman, her husband and seven other members of their family, who reside in two houses in Panchkula's Sector 15, had tested positive for the virus, officials said.

 

Earlier, Health Minister Anil Vij had directed that an FIR be filed against the erring doctor for negligence.

The FIR will be filed under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, he had said on Thursday.

The total active COVID-19 patients in the state were 137, the state health department's daily bulletin said, adding 82 people have been discharged.

The state has so far recorded two COVID-related deaths.

The worst affected districts of the state are Nuh (55), Faridabad (33), Gurugram (32), Faridabad (33) and Palwal (30).

Panchkula district has reported 16 coronavirus cases.

Vij has said that out of total positive cases, 122 are Tablighi Jamaat members.

Had there not been a spike in the number of cases due to the Tablighi Jamaat members, the state would have been in a much better position today as far as the fight against COVID-19 is concerned, he had said.

As many as 8,796 samples have been tested so far, out of which 7,094 have tested negative. However, reports of 1,495 samples are awaited.

Among the 24 foreign nationals who tested positive, 14 were Italian tourists and later 13 of them were discharged while one elderly woman in the group had passed away a few days ago even though she had recovered from the infection.

The other ten foreign nationals found positive are from countries including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia while 64 are from other states, as per the bulletin.