CHANDIGARH: The highest single-day spike of 1,165 coronavirus cases and a record 41 fatalities pushed the COVID-19 tally in Punjab to 31,206 and the death toll to 812 on Sunday, according to a bulletin by the state government.
Fourteen deaths were reported from Ludhiana, seven from Patiala, four from Jalandhar, three each from Amritsar and Sangrur, two from Ferozepur and one each from Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga and Mohali, it stated.
Among the districts which reported fresh cases in the last 24 hours, Ludhiana recorded 315 fresh instances of the viral infection, Jalandhar 187, Ferozepur 96, Mohali 91, Patiala 90, Gurdaspur 74, Moga 64 and Amritsar 37, the bulletin said.
A total of 568 patients recuperated from the disease in a day taking the total number of recoveries in Punjab so far to 19,431.
The state government bulletin stated that there are 10,963 active COVID-19 cases in the state as of now, of whom 35 are in a critical state and on ventilator support while 217 are on oxygen support.
So far, 7,70,873 samples have been collected for coronavirus tests, it said.
Meanwhile, state Revenue Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar has tested positive for coronavirus, a health official said on Sunday.
He is now under home isolation and samples of his family members have also been taken for testing, the official said.
Kangar had hoisted the national flag in Mansa during Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.
A health official said the health teams have been tracing people who came in contact with the minister.
Those who were in close contact with Kangar would be tested for COVID-19, said an official.
Kangar is the second minister from the state to have contracted coronavirus.
Earlier, Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa had tested positive for the infection.