Ladakh reports 3 deaths, 44 cases
2 docs, Supervisor, KB Jail staffer, 4 of family infected
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 18: The Union Territory of Ladakh today reported three Corona casualties while 33 more persons from Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan, two doctors and one Supervisor posted in SMGS Hospital Jammu and District Hospital Kishtwar, four members of a shopkeeper’s family in Samba, five persons from Raya Suchaini Vijaypur, 10 CRPF jawans of 187 battalion in Udhampur, six more CRPF men from Bantalab, a staffer of Kot Bhalwal Jail, a couple in Kishtwar and two Safai Karamcharis from Primary Health Centre (PHC) Pouni in Reasi district were among 121 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Jammu region even as 110 persons were treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals.
After yesterday’s 22 positives, 33 more Corona positive cases were today reported from Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. They include 28 CRPF personnel deployed for security at the cave shrine, three employees of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) including a Pujari, a ‘Sahayak’ (security man) and an official and two police constables.
With this, a total of 55 persons have reported positive for the virus from the holy cave shrine during last two days and 75 during past one week.
However, pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine continued for third day today after it was resumed on August 16 following nearly five months closure of the Bhawan due to Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
Meanwhile, out of three more casualties in Ladakh, Kargil district recorded two and Leh one.
A 77-year-old man from Kargil presently putting up in Leh died of COVID-19 today while a youth from Drass and an elderly woman succumbed to Coronavirus in Kargil taking Ladakh’s total casualties to 17 including 10 in Kargil and seven in Leh.
Ladakh reported 44 new Corona cases today-27 in Leh and 17 in Kargil taking total positives in the Union Territory to 2010 and active positives to 598.
Four members of a shopkeeper’s family in Ward No. 8 Samba and five from Raya Suchaini Vijaypur including three women and a PHE employee, all of whom were contacts of one positive person were among 12 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Samba district today, SSP Samba Shakti Pathak told the Excelsior. Ward No. 8 Samba has been contained, he said.
Other positives of Samba include a jewellery shop owner from Ward 6 Vijaypur and one jawan each of Jammu Kashmir Police and Indian Reserve Police.
After three Public Safety Act (PSA) detenues from Kashmir and a Warder, another staffer of Kot Bhalwal Jail-a Senior Assistant hailing from Rehari-today tested positive for Coronavirus. He was on leave and was tested for COVID-19 after he joined duty during which he reported positive. Prior to him, three PSA detenues who had been shifted to Kot Bhalwal from Central Jail Srinagar and a Warder of the Jail had tested positive.
Jail authorities have taken all COVID-19 precautionary arrangements like social distancing, wearing of masks and use of sanitizers etc.
Another female Registrar in Gynecology Department of the SMGS Hospital Jammu, who is a resident of Anuradha Colony today tested Corona positive. A Supervisor-cum-Storekeeper of the same Department who hailed from Roop Nagar has also reported positive. Couple of days back another Registrar of Gynecology Department had tested positive for the virus.
Another doctor tested Corona positive in Kishtwar District Hospital. He was tested on return to duty from Kashmir, District Magistrate Rajinder Singh Tara told the Excelsior.
Besides the doctor, four more persons have reported positive in Kishtwar district including a couple hailing from Damdooru Panjnari (the woman being pregnant) and one jawan each from CRPF and JKP.
An Assistant Sub Inspector posted in the District Police Lines (DPL) Jammu also tested COVID positive today.
A total of 28 persons tested positive in Jammu district today including 21 with no travel history.
They include six CRPF jawans posted in Bantalab.
Other positives of Jammu district include 14-year-old girl from Nanak Nagar, 42-year-old woman from Jawahar Nagar, 29-year-old woman from Domana, 35-year-old woman from New Plots, 49 and 40 years old men from Miran Sahib, an old man from Sidhra Road, 45-year-old man from Partap Garh, 68-year-old man from Kanak Mandi, 80-year-old woman from Satwari, 31-year-old man from Sunjwan and 62-year-old man from Main Bazaar Nagrota.
Thirteen persons have tested positive for Coronavirus in Udhampur district.
Of them, 10 were CRPF jawans of 187 battalion whose number of personnel have already reported positive, District Magistrate Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla said.
Three other positives of the district were travelers.
Ramban district reported five and Doda four fresh Corona cases today.
Of five positives in Ramban, three were CRPF personnel and two middle-aged persons from village Baskoot, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Mohammad Fareed Bhat said
Among four positives of Doda, two were contacts of Corona patients from Gandoh while two others were travelers.
Three persons reported positive for the virus in Kathua district, all of whom were tested during random sampling. One each of them belonged to Chack Ram Singh, Patel Nagar and Ward No. 1 Kathua, Deputy Commissioner Kathua OP Bhagat said.
Three persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Poonch district including two travelers and a local while two people reported positive in Rajouri district-one each traveler and local.
Meanwhile, 110 persons were today discharged from various COVID hospitals in Jammu region after being treated for the virus, the highest being 46 in Jammu district followed by 26 in Rajouri, 13 Poonch, 11 Kathua, seven Ramban, six Udhampur and one in Reasi district.
With today’s positives, Jammu region had total of 6546 Coronavirus cases. Of them, 4941 have been treated leaving behind 1564 active cases as there have been 41 casualties.
GMC Kathua gets nod to conduct RTPCR testing
Govind Sharma
Government Medical College (GMC) Kathua has got approval of the Indian Council of Medical and Research (ICMR) to start RTPCR testing for COVID-19.
This was conveyed today, in a communiqué to Dr Amrish Kohli (Incharge HoD), Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College and Associated Hospital, Kathua, by Prof Mini P Singh, Nodal Officer, COVID-19 Testing, Principal Coordinator, Mentoring Institute (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh).
“Based on the existing infrastructure, facilities for carrying out SARS CoV-2 by Conventional Real Time PCR, availability of trained manpower and review of test run graphs as well as competency testing results, which was found satisfactory, you are hereby permitted to carry out the testing for SARS CoV-2 by Conventional Real Time PCR,” Dr Singh said in the communiqué.
The communiqué further adds: “The core committee of PGIMER Chandigarh chaired by DPGI has decided that your lab can be approved by ICMR for testing COVID-19 by Conventional RTPCR”.
With approval of ICMR, GMC Kathua has become first new Medical College in J&K UT where RTPCR testing for COVID-19 will be started soon. This a big achievement as with this, the GMC Kathua has now entered the era of molecular diagnostics within one year of its operationalization.
Commenting on the achievement, Dr Amrish Kohli, said that their RTPCR lab is fully ready to conduct tests. He said that within a day or two, they will start conducting tests. “We will try to begin with 100 tests per day and then gradually increase our capacity,” said Dr Kohli when asked about the number of tests they will conduct per day.
When contacted, Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner (FC), Health and Medical Education Department, said, the RTPCR lab of GMC Kathua will start conducting COVID-tests from the day after tomorrow. He said like GMC Kathua, RTPCR labs are also being established in other new Medical Colleges of the UT.
Stating that RTPCR labs of GMC Rajouri and GMC Baramulla are in place and all formalities have been completed by the respective college administration to get approval of ICMR, he expressed hope of getting ICMR approval for RTPCR testing of COVID-19 for the two Medical Colleges within a week.
“However, start of COVID-testing in GMC Doda and GMC Anantnag may take some time as some machinery is yet to be installed there,” the FC added.
Dullo said as soon as the COVID-19 testing is started in all the new medical colleges, not only the work load on existing testing facilities will be eased but also the testing capacity of the UT will be enhanced to a great extent. This will further saved time of the patients as they won’t have to visit Jammu or Srinagar for testing.
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