The novel coronavirus infected another frontline worker on Friday, with a fire brigade personnel in Pune city testing positive.
A fire tender driver in his early 50s contracted the infection, while undergoing treatment for an ailment at a private hospital, said Prashant Ranpise, the chief fire officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation. Five other personnel in the same shift have been quarantined.
“The employee, who was posted at the fire brigade unit near Pune railway station, was admitted to Noble Hospital in Hadapsar on Monday for treatment of some other ailment,” Mr. Ranpise said, adding he tested positive on Friday and efforts have begun to trace his contacts.
Pune crosses 2,500 cases
Pune district’s tally rose to 2,537 on Friday with 76 new cases and seven fatalities being recorded. The district now has 1,634 active cases and the death toll stands at 141. Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation reported eight new cases. The civic body’s tally is now 159 with 95 active cases.
Pune Divisional Commissioner Dr. Deepak Mhaisekar said the tally in the division, which includes Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur and Pune districts, stands at 2,885, with 157 deaths. A total of 91 people in the division, including more than 80 from Pune, are critical.
Solapur’s death toll has risen to 12 with two more fatalities since Thursday, while its tally stands at 182. Satara district has reported two deaths and 114 cases, and Kolhapur and Sangli have reported one death each with 15 and 37 cases respectively.
Dr. Mhaisekar said 837 patients in the division have been discharged, including 762 from Pune district.
According to the Pune district authorities, there has been a marked increase in the number of recoveries in the last eight days, with an average 50 patients being discharged each day.
