No new Covid-19 case in Virk village, 4 patients released

No Covid-19 positive case was reported in Virk village in Jalandhar district as its fourth coronavirus patient was released from the city’s Civil Hospital on Sunday.

Virk had zero cases even as the health department took samples of 50 persons and the administration ensured that extensive ground level work, including door-to-door survey and sanitization, was carried out every day for the last three weeks.

Three patients, including Harjinder Singh, 50, his wife Baljinder Kaur,45, and their son Hardeep Singh, 25, were released earlier. Their other son, Sandeep, 27, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after his second test came out negative.

The four are relatives of Punjab’s first coronavirus death victim, Baldev Singh, 70, of Pathlawa village in Banga sub-division of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, who had returned from Germany via Italy on March 7 and died after a cardiac arrest at Banga Civil hospital on March 18. Reports of his being positive were received on March 19.

He is known to have come in contact with numerous people in the state.

A day later Baldev Singh’s death the Jalandhar health department, assisted by the gram panchayat, traced his relatives and admitted them to the Civil Hospital with the help of the local police. Health experts say immediate action prevented the disease from spreading in the village.

Phillaur sub-divisional magistrate Dr Vaneet Kumar with senior medical officer, CHC Bara Pind, Dr Jyoti Phokela, supervised the entire contact tracing and containment exercise and sent contacts for testing at the district hospital.

Containing Covid-19 has been achieved with the joint efforts of entire health team and administration, Kumar added.

Local auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) Shashi Bala, supported by other health workers from Asha, went to each and every house in the village, which has a population of around 5,000.

Deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma appreciated work done by the health department, police, local youth club and other departments for sanitisation work.

He said that it was impressive that the villagers cooperated with the administration and remained indoors.