Cases from Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Shopian, Pulwama, and Udhampur districts; all with previous contacts
Srinagar, Apr 4: The number of COVID-19-affected patients in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its highest daily jump so far on Saturday as 19 more persons tested positive for the infection in J&K.
Sixteen of them were from Kashmir alone while three cases were detected in Udhampur district of Jammu division.
With it the total number of persons infected with coronavirus in J&K rises to 94.
So far, two people have died of the virus while four patients have successfully recovered and have been discharged from hospitals. They recovered include three from Jammu and one from Kashmir.
Sources said among the fresh cases include six from Kupwara, four from Bandipora and three from Baramulla in north Kashmir while two are from Shopian and one from Pulwama districts of south Kashmir.
Of them, eight are being treated at Government Medical College Baramulla, five at SKIMS Soura and three at Chest Disease Hospital, Dalgate.
KUPWARA
The six from Kupwara include a 66-year-old man, his 56-year-old wife and their 27-year-old son, all residents of Heeri area of the frontier district. They along with two others–two elderly women from Handwara—had returned from Bangladesh and stayed in Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi before returning to Valley recently.
The sixth case from Kupwara is a 62-year-old resident of Tangdhar who had returned from Bhopal and also stayed at Nizamuddin Markaz for around a week before returning home on March 16.
“All of them have history of stay at Markaz Nizamuddin Delhi. All of these were already under quarantine but as per protocol, contact tracing is being carried out on a war footing. All of them are doing well by God’s grace and we wish them a speedy recovery,” said Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Anshul Garg.
SDM Tangdhar Dr Bilal Ahmad said the man Tangdhar was placed under quarantine as soon as he reached home and on next day he was placed under administrative quarantine. He said all his primary contacts, 11 of them, have also been quarantined.
BANDIPORA
The four cases from Bandipora include two men in their 40s who had travelled to Jammu and participated in a religious function while two others, 30-year-old man and 15-year-old, are contacts of previous COVID-19 patients.
BARAMULLA
Regarding the three fresh cases from Baramulla, Deputy Commissioner Dr G N Itoo said they all are relatives of the COVID-19 teacher whose father died of the disease recently. The trio includes teacher’s wife, their 8-year-old daughter and a 25-year-old relative.
SHOPIAN
A senior officer of district administration Shopian said a couple who had returned from Saudi Arabia on March 16 tested positive and their test reports were received from CD hospital.
PULWAMA
Regarding the lone case from Pulwama, the man’s test report came positive at CD hospital. Sources said he is a resident Sangarwani area of Pulwama and had come in contact with a COVID-19 patient, a Tablighi Jamaat member.
UDHAMPUR
Earlier three persons tested positive in Udhampur district of Jammu division.
“Three more positive cases reported today from Narsoo, Udhampur. All contacts of a positive patient from Udhampur with travel history abroad,” Principal Secretary Planning, Information and Government Spokesperson, Rohit Kansal tweeted.
Prof Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent SKIMS said that 42 sample reports were received on Saturday among which 13 tested positive. Eight of these sample pertained to GMC Baramulla. The remaining 29 reports came out to be negative. He said 31 fresh samples were received and 10 more persons with symptoms like COVID-19 were admitted to hospital.
Medical Superintendent Chest Diseases (CD) hospital Mohammad Saleem Tak said that five more persons with symptoms were admitted besides 60 samples from different hospitals were received by the hospital on Saturday.
He said seven of the COVID-19 patients tested negative. “This is good news that patients are responding to the treatment and seven of them whose tests came out to be negative are being moved to quarantine facility,” he added.
As per officials, out of these 94 COVID-19-affected people, 73 are in Kashmir and 21 in Jammu. Four of them have been discharged—three from Jammu and one (first COVID-19 patient) from Kashmir while two others died, leaving active cases at 88—70 in Kashmir and 19 in Jammu.
The Government said 28545 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance so far.
As per the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus, 10606 persons have been kept under home quarantine (including facilities operated by Govt.) while as 682 are in hospital quarantine while 86 persons have been kept in hospital isolation.
Persons who are under home surveillance stand at 12795 while as 4376 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
It said that 1397 samples have been sent for testing of which 1250 tested as negative as on 1500 hours. (Inputs from GNS)
