Hospitalisation jump in Punjab, TPR spike in Goa: Analysing the Covid scenario in poll-bound states

Hospitalisation in Punjab has increased in tandem with an increase in Test Positivity Rate (TPR) in Goa. Here's a look at the Covid scenario in poll-bound states.

Dates for the high-voltage elections in five states have been announced even as India witnesses an explosion in Covid cases. The case count has gone up across the country, and the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur are no exception. This has forced the Election Commission to impose severe restrictions on campaigning for the polls beginning next month.

In Punjab, active cases jumped 12-fold in just seven days from 1,369 on January 2 to 16,343 on January 9. During the same period, the number of patients on oxygen support jumped from 33 to 254. There are 10 patients on ventilators now, as against just one a week ago. Test positivity rate (TPR) in the state has also gone up to 12.6 per cent, indicating that the infection is quite widespread here. Notably, the proportion of eligible population getting both vaccine doses in Punjab is one of the lowest in the country.