Coronavirus in Chhattisgarh: 55 new COVID-19 cases; state tally at 549

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh mounted to 549 after 55 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a health official said on Monday. Of the new cases, 11 were reported from Bilaspur district, nine from Jashpur, seven from Raigarh, five from Bemetara, four from Korba, three each from Raipur, Balod and Dhamtari districts while two each from Mungeli, Surguja and Durg districts, he said.

Besides, one case each was reported from Gariaband, Bastar, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund districts, he said.

Most of the new patients are migrant labourers who recently returned to their home districts from different parts of the country and were kept in quarantine centres or those who came in their contact, he said. While 45 new coronavirus cases were reported on Monday, samples of 10 others tested positive on Sunday night, the official said.

One of the new cases detected in Raipur is a 73-year-old man, who was admitted at private Shree Narayana Hospital with multiple ailments here, the official said.

The first chief minister of the state, Ajit Jogi, who died following a cardiac arrest on May 29, was admitted in the same hospital.

Jogi and the patient, who tested positive for the viral infection on Monday, were admitted in separate wards and there was no contact between the two.

"However, doctors and nursing staff who were attending the patient were asked to stay in quarantine. The patient is being shifted to AIIMS for further treatment," Dr Sunil Khemka, Medical Director, Shree Narayana Hospital, told PTI.

Another coronavirus case from Raipur is a cancer patient who was admitted in AIIMS Raipur on May 24 for surgery.

After his sample tested positive for the viral infection on Monday, he was shifted to the COVID-19 ward of the government-run hospital, a PRO of the AIIMS said.

Earlier in the day, seven patients were discharged from different hospitals, including the AIIMS Raipur, following their recovery, he said.

The COVID-19 count in the state has gone up to 549, though active cases are 427 as 121 patients have recovered and one patient has died, the official said.

Of the active cases, 104 are undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Raipur, 93 at COVID hospital Mana Raipur, 49 at COVID hospital Bilaspur, 64 at Medical College Hospital Ambikapur, 27 at Medical College Raigarh, 38 at Medical College Rajnandgaon and five at Medical College Jagdalpur, he said.

At present, 2,12,880 people are kept in 19,254 quarantine centres, while 52,235 are in home quarantine as a precautionary measure, he said.

Chhattisgarh COVID-19 figures are as follows: positive cases-549, new cases 55, death 1, discharged 121, active cases 427, people tested so far 70,730.