Ludhiana: 7 Covid patients found infected with BA.5 sub-variant

Seven patients from Ludhiana district with Coronoavirus infection have been diagnosed with the BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron, which according to experts is highly transmissible.

As per health department officials, samples of 54 patients had been sent for genome sequencing. While reports of four patients found infected with the sub-variant were received a few days back, the department got three of them on Friday.

Even as reports from across the globe suggest that the variant is more vaccine resistant, the district health officials said that nothing to this effect has been notified by the government yet and the infected patients in Ludhiana are also stable and under home isolation.

They added that the number of sub-variant cases are low in the district till now and the patients have no travel history.

Civil surgeon Dr SP Singh said that the patients are stable and the department has conducted a follow up with them after they were diagnosed with the sub-variant. He further urged residents to keep their guard up and follow Covid SOPs prescribed by the government.

He also appealed to residents to get themselves vaccinated and go for the booster dose, if eligible. “Samples are being regularly sent for genome sequencing and the department is keeping a close eye on the situation,” added Dr Singh.

67-year-old dies, 49 fresh cases detected

A 67-year-old man from Sidhwan Bet area succumbed to Covid on Saturday, even as 49 fresh infections were detected in the last 24 hours, as per a bulletin released by the district health department on Saturday. The deceased was a regular smoker and undergoing treatment at DMC hospital, an official said.

With this, the total count of Covid cases in the district is now 1,10,969; of which 1,08,426 patients have recovered and 2,297 succumbed to the virus. There were 246 active cases in the district on Saturday, of which 238 were under home isolation and the rest were admitted to different hospitals.