Bhopal/Indore,  Midway through the 21-day lockdown in Madhya Pradesh coronavirus cases kept up a rising trend. The total corona positive cases touched 215.

Figures in Bhopal recorded a big jump, from 18 to 40 by late Sunday evening. Chief Medical and Health Officer, Bhopal Dr. Sudhir Kumar Daheria said 22 persons tested positive on Sunday.

According to Sunday night bulletin 97 samples were sent for examination of which 23 tested positive. Most persons affected are either related to the Health Department or to the Tablighi Jamaat. However, the health authorities said there is no need to panic.

After a major vegetable whole-seller in Bhopal tested positive on Saturday vegetable markets in Bhopal were sealed till further orders.

Collector Tarun Pithode ordered closure of all except milk and medicine shops till further orders. The food delivery system and the home delivery system authorized by the competent authority by the Municipal Corporation will continue to operate.

On Friday, IAS officer and Health Corporation MD J.J. Vijay Kumar had tested COVID-19 positive. On Saturday, 12 IAS officers of the COVID-19 core group were home quarantined. Pallavi Jain Govil and Veena Sinha were admitted to Bhopal AIIMS and their family members were also quarantined. Around 150 employees of the Health Department are under medical supervision.

Even the Health Department hierarchy had crumbled under the burgeoning crisis with its Principal Secretary Pallavi Jain Govil and Additional Director (Health) Veena Sinha testing positive for the dreaded virus. Both Jain Govil and Vijay Kumar had attended meetings even through their sickness causing an alarm in the state secretariat

By Sunday night the overall figure of the infected in the state touched 215. Of these 135 were found in Indore, 12 in Morena, 40 in Bhopal, eight in Jabalpur, seven in Ujjain, four in Khargone, three in Barwani, while two each were affected in Gwalior, Shivpuri and Chhindwara.

There have been 12 deaths so far. Eight died in Indore, two in Ujjain and one each in Khargone and Chhindwara.