5 doctors, 55 policemen among fresh cases
Srinagar: The ongoing pandemic made another new in Kashmir as the valley reported three deaths due to COVID-19 in a single day on Monday, pushing the J&K’s overall death toll due to the disease to 16.
Besides, 106 more persons tested positive for the virus in J&K, 94 of them from Kashmir alone.
Two among the three victims were females including a 65-year-old from Kulgam and a 75-year-old from Kokernag in Anantnag district. Both had tested positive Monday morning and were shifted from SMHS hospital to CD hospital Dalgate here.
Official sources the 75-year-old woman was suffering from thyroid cancer.
Prior to her death, the 65-year-old female from Kulgam, who was admitted in Surgical ICU in SMHS hospital as case of subdural haemorrhage (SDH) tested positive for COVID-19 Monday morning.
“She was shifted to CD Hospital Srinagar where immediately after admission she had cardiac arrest and died,” Dr Salim Khan, nodal officer Covid-19 at Government Medical College, Srinagar, told GNS.
Earlier in the day, a 75-year-old man, a resident of Hillar Kokernag Anantnag, died at the same hospital.
Official sources said the victim had initially tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted at the CD hospital. A few days later, his repeat tests came out negative.
Later, he was taken to SMHS for an emergency procedure known as tracheostomy—which involves creating an opening in the neck in order to place a tube into a person’s windpipe to allow air to enter the lungs. It was there when his fresh sample, known as tracheal aspirate rather than the ordinary—naso/oropharyngeal— swab was taken.
The test returned positive following which he was again taken to CD hospital where he died on Monday.
Dr Salim Tak, Medical Superintendent CD hospital said that the man was continuously on ventilator from last eight days. “He was suffering from Pneumonia. Last week a tracksmosty procedure was done on him at SMHS hospital,” he said.
The deaths come a day after a 29-year-old woman from Habba Kadal Srinagar died at the CD hospital here. She was the youngest victim of the dreaded disease in J&K so far. In last three days, Kashmir Valley has seen five deaths due to the Covid-19. On Saturday, a 70-year-old man from Chadoora in Budgam district died at SKIMS Soura. His reports came positive after his death.
With the latest fatalities, 16 persons have died due to the disease so far in Jammu and Kashmir—13 of them in Kashmir and two in the Jammu division.
The Srinagar district has reported 5 of the deaths, highest in any district, followed by Baramulla and Anantnag with three deaths each while one each has been reported in Bandipora, Budgam, Kulgam, Udhampur, and Jammu.
5 doctors, 55 policemen among 106 fresh cases
Five doctors and 55 armed police personnel including an SP ranked officer, were among at least 106 fresh cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, taking the over tally of the Covid-19 patients in the J&K closer to 1300 mark.
Among them, 665 are active positive—98 in Jammu and 567 in Kashmir. 609—60 in Jammu and 549 in Kashmir have recovered while 16 others have died.
94 of the fresh cases were reported from Kashmir and 12 from Jammu.
They include 59 among the fresh cases are from Anantnag district 12 each from Srinagar and Kulgam, four from Kupwara, two each from Bandipora, Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch while one each from Baramulla, Shopian, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Udhampur, Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda.
Of the 750 samples processed at CD Covid-19 testing lab in the last 24 hours,
55 were from DPL Anantnag, 8 of them are patients admitted to SMHS Hospital.
Besides 3 ENT doctors of the Hospital and one doctor each at Government Dental College Srinagar and SKIMS MCH Bemina.
The other patients include 2 from Anantnag, 2 from Srinagar (travelers from New Delhi), one patient admitted in LD Hospital from Bandipora, 2 from Jammu while one each is from Ganderbal, Kulgam, Handwara, Pulwama, Doda, Banihal, Kishtwar and Kathua.
“There is no policeman from district police Anantnag. The DPL Anantnag is a collection point and all the 55 personnel are from armed police,” a senior police officer said. Among them, he said, one is a SP ranked officer.
Official sources said that five doctors whose samples returned positive include a 30-year-old from Bemina Srinagar (posted at SKIMS MCH), 27-year-old from Asham Sumbal Bandipora (posted in Orthodontics dental college Srinagar), 46-year-old from Ladakh (Consultant ENT SMHS), 42-year-old from Mehjoor Nagar Srinagar (Consultant ENT SMHS) and Registrar ENT SMHS, a 30-year-old doctor.
Among other patients who have tested positive at CD hospital’s covid-19 testing lab include 50-year-old woman from Bemina Srinagar, admitted to isolation ward in SMHS. The others including 75-year-old woman of Kokernag, 55-year-old man from Fateh Kadal Srinagar, 65-year-old woman from Kulgam,, 56-year-old from Kargil, 70-year-old woman from Budgam, 55-year-old man from Pattan Baramulla and 27-year-old from Sallar Anantnag were also admitted to SMHS hospital.
The 55 armed policemen who tested positive are aged between 25 to 56 years old and maximum among them are in 30s, they added.
Eleven other samples were confirmed at Army’s Command Hospital Udhampur and include 10 from Kulgam and one resident of Udhampur distrct, sources said. The two others are from Rajouri and their samples were confirmed at GMC Jammu.
Professor Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent SKIMS said that five samples returned positive for the disease and include three from Kupwara—18-year-old girl from Magam Handwara, 25-year-old woman and 30-year-old man from Gonipora Handwara— while one each is from Shopian (70-year-old man Darbagh) and 26-year-old from Rambagh Srinagar.
With these cases, the number of Covid-19 patients has risen to 1289 so far.
Meanwhile 34 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and were discharged from various hospitals of Kashmir Division.
Government said that out of 88601 test results available, 87312 samples have tested as negative till May 18, 2020. (GNS)
