Shimla: A senior doctor is among the four coronavirus deaths reported from Himachal Pradesh, which recorded 221 fresh cases on Sunday, pushing the infection count to 12,130.
Among the fresh patients is BJP’s Sundernagar MLA Rakesh Jamwal.
So far, the state has reported 118 deaths due to the disease.
Shimla Chief Medical Officer Dr. Surekha Chopra said Dr. Pradeep Bansal (60), who was the head of the department of community medicine at Mandi’s Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, breathed his last at a private hospital in Punjab’s Mohali.
He has shifted there four days ago on his daughter’s request, Chopra said.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over his death, saying the state has lost a coronavirus warrior.
The CMO said he was referred to Shimla’s Indira Gandhi Medical College on September 8. Dr. Bansal was reported COVID positive by TruNat and RTPCR tests, she said, adding that he was put on a ventilator the next day.
Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said two deaths were reported from Kangra and one from Solan.
He said three of the four dead suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome while one had other ailments.
So far, Kangra has reported 27 deaths; Solan 23; Shimla 22; Mandi 13; Una 10; Sirmaur and Chamba 7 each; Hamirpur 5; Kullu 3 and Bilaspur 1.
Of the 220 fresh cases, 80 were reported from Mandi, 31 from Una, 26 from Shimla, 19 from Kullu, 15 each from Kangra, and Sirmaur, 13 from Lahaul-Spiti, 12 from Solan, one each from Chamba and Hamirpur, Jindal said.
Sundernagar BJP MLA Rakesh Jamwal and his PSO tested positive for the infection on Sunday, said a senior medical officer at Nerchowk’s Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri Medical College, Dr. J N Chauhan.
Jamwal is the sixth legislator, including two ministers, who tested positive for COVID-19.
The 46-year-old MLA from Mandi district in a tweet requested all those who had come in his contact recently to get themselves tested.
A total of 81 patients recovered from the virus on Sunday. Among these, 29 were from Mandi, 14 from Chamba, 12 from Sirmaur, 10 from Kangra, nine from Bilaspur, six from Kullu, and one from Kinnaur.
The total number of recoveries stands at 7,548, Jindal said, adding that 17 people have migrated out of the state.
Currently, there are 4,444 active COVID-19 cases in the state, Jindal said.
Solan has the highest number of active cases at 950, followed by 821 in Mandi, 674 in Kangra, 481 in Shimla, 479 in Una, 398 in Sirmaur, 218 in Bilaspur, 123 in Kullu, 98 in Hamirpur, 89 in Lahaul-Spiti, 75 in Chamba and 38 in Kinnaur, according to the health department data.