Punjab’s COVID-19 death count reached 121 on Thursday with eight more deaths in the state and Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ashwani Kapoor, a Punjab Home Guard platoon commander posted with Ludhiana vigilance bureau and Moga District Epimediologist were among the 145 fresh cases testing positive for novel coronavirus, driving up the total tally of infections in the state to 4,769.

On Monday, a Home Guard from Ludhiana DCP’s office had tested positive and DCP was in the list of his contacts. DCP is asymptomatic, as per the officials, and is in home isolation.

Three COVID-19 deaths were reported from Amritsar (two men aged 88 and 34 and a 58-year-old woman), two from Sangrur (men aged 63 and 55) and one each from Moga (70-year-old man), Tarn Taran (50-year-old man) and Ludhiana (36-year-old man).

However, the official media bulletin issued in the evening put the death toll at 120. A health department functionary said, “We are not aware of the third death. As per information with us, an 88-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman have died in the district.”

Among the fresh cases, Amritsar reported maximum (31), followed by Jalandhar (25) and Sangrur (21).

The other districts which reported fresh cases were Ludhiana (22), Muktsar (9), Patiala (8), Kapurthala and Moga (6 each), Mohali and Ferozepur (4 each), Gurdaspur and Fazilka (2 each) and Mansa, Ropar, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur and Tarn Taran (1 each).

A platoon commander and two constables of Punjab Home Guard (PHG)— all posted with Ludhiana vigilance bureau — tested positive.

In Moga, 34-year-old district epidemiologist tested positive. Fourteen of his primary contacts, comprising wife, two-year-old daughter and 12 colleagues from district health department and Civil Hospital Moga, were quarantined and their samples were taken. He is asymptomatic. Among his team from Moga health department, those who have been quarantined include another district epidemiologist, a microbiologist, data entry operator, sanitary inspectors and multipurpose workers from Rapid Response Team (RRT).

A health official from Moga said that the doctor tested after he had visited the residence of a 55-year-old liver cancer patient who died on June 18 and tested positive after death. The doctor has been admitted to Baghapurana Civil Hospital’s isolation ward.

A 32-year-old senior constable of Moga police, who was currently posted at an entry checkpoint at Chuharchak under Ajitwal police station in Moga district, also tested positive. He is asymptomatic.

A 70-year-old man from Lohara village of Moga died at Adesh Hospital at Bathinda Thursday. A health official said that he was a heart patient, had suffered heart attack and undergone a surgery. He was first admitted to Military Hospital at Bathinda on June 19 from where he was referred to Adesh Hospital. He had tested positive for coronavirus two days ago.

Of the total fresh cases in the state on Thursday, for 57 cases the source of infection was not immediately known, 70 were the contacts of the positive cases and 15 had travel history outside the state, including one returned from abroad.

As per the bulletin, 3,192 patients have been discharged and 1,457 are in institutional isolation, including 25 on oxygen support and five on ventilator support.

Maximum cases of infection (838) and COVID-19 deaths (36) have been reported from Amritsar. Ludhiana has reported 19 deaths and 663 cases and Amritsar 18 deaths and 668 cases.