Kangra, Hamirpur become coronavirus free as five more patients recover in HP

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Shimla, Apr 30 () Five more COVID-19 patients recovered in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, taking the total number of those cured in the state to 30, officials said.

One patient from Jawali subdivision in Kangra district, one from Sihunta tehsil in Chamba district and one from Una district have recovered from the disease on Thursday, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.

Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said two patients from Hamirpur district also recovered as they tested negative on late Thursday night.

With this, Kangra and Hamirpur districts have become coronavirus free.

Hamirpur District Magistrate Harikesh Meena on Thursday evening issued an order de-notifying all such areas that had been declared as containment zones following detection of two novel coronavirus positive cases on April 17.

The first two cases in the state surfaced in Kangra district on March 20.

A total of five cases were reported from Kangra district. Four of them recovered whereas a 69-year-old man who had travelled from USA died of coronavirus on March 23.

Thirteen patients from Una district, five each from Solan and Chamba, four from Kangra, two from Hamirpur and one patient from Sirmaur district have recovered so far.

No fresh coronavirus case was reported in the state for a week, he added.

Of the 361 samples sent for testing on Friday, 359 tested negative while reports of the rest are awaited, he added.

These tests are being conducted at five laboratories in HP at Tanda's Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla, Palampur's Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) in Kangra, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College (SLBSGMC) Nerchowk in Mandi and Kasauli's Central Research Institute (CRI) in Solan.

So far, 41 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state and the number of active cases in the state is five.

The active cases are from Una, Chamba and Sirmaur districts of the hill state.

Three active cases from Una, one each from Chamba and Sirmaur are being treated at Tanda's RPGMC, Bhota Charitable Hospital in Hamirpur and Katha's ESIC in Baddi, respectively.

Four patients from Solan district were shifted to a private hospital outside Himachal Pradesh.

Two people have died of COVID-19 in the state. The fatalities include a 70-year-old Delhi resident who had stayed at a guest house of a factory in Solan district's Baddi and died at PGIMER, Chandigarh on April 2. DJI CORR SNESNE