3 more test +ve, tally 53

Kashmir gets 5 ventilators

Fayaz Bukhari

Srinagar, Apr 2: Three persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Kashmir today including a 70-year old man from Sopore who was discharged last month from a Srinagar hospital after he tested negative for Corona.
The 70-year-old had returned on March 15 from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah. He reported to Sub-District Hospital Sopore on March 21 after Government announced that those with travel history should report to a nearby health facility.
The man was advised to visit GMC Baramulla from where he was shifted to Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar where he was admitted for three days and was later discharged on March 24 after he tested negative for COVID-19 and was sent for home quarantine.
The man complained of uneasiness in breathing and developed symptoms and visited the Sub-District hospital Sopore again on March 31. The doctors referred him to GMC Baramulla where his sample was taken afresh and sent to SKIMS Soura. He tested positive today and was referred to SKIMS hospital in Bemina for advanced treatment. He is the first patient who was admitted to SKIMS Bemina which was recently declared COVID-19 hospital. However, between March 24 and March 31, he has maintained isolation and nobody visited him and has no contact post his discharge from hospital. Click here to watch video
The second positive case is a 20-year-old man from Saderkote Balla in Bandipora district who had come in contact of COVID-19 positive. The third one is a 53-year-old man from Soibugh in district Budgam who had met his son-in-law who tested positive for the Corona last week. All of them are admitted to SKIMS from where Kashmir’s first COVID-19 patient, a 67-year-old woman from Srinagar, has been discharged. The woman tested negative twice at SKIMS Soura and was discharged and sent home for quarantine
Six more persons were admitted to SKIMS Soura and their samples have been taken and sent for the testing where 14 COVID-19 positive are undergoing treatment. Nine such patients are in JLNM hospital for treatment.
Dr Mohammad Saleem said that 42 people today tested negative for COVID-19 at GMC laboratory Srinagar and tests of 25 are awaited. He said that 18 COVID-19 positive patients are admitted in CD hospital and one of them who was from Natipora area completed 14 days in the hospital and he tested negative today. He said that his sample will be taken again tomorrow and if he tested negative, he will be sent for home quarantine.
And panic gripped Tangmarg area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district today after the son of deceased Covid-19 patient tested positive. The son of the deceased 65 year old Covid-19 patient being a teacher had come in contact with dozens of students at a private tuition centre. Authorities have appealed parents not to panic as according to them before the outbreak of this disease Coaching Centres were closed in the area.
Tangmarg man died recently at Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar, though he had neither any travel history nor had come into contact with any infected person. Doctors said he was suffering from Coronavirus infection. However, he had been admitted at SMHS Hospital after developing some liver problem.
Shortly after reports surfaced that the son of the deceased patient has been declared positive, panic gripped Tangmarg, as being a teacher, the infected person was teaching students at a private tuition centre.
Sub Divisional Magistrate, Gulmarg Shabir-ul-Hasan in his message has asked people not to panic. “It is very unfortunate to inform the general public that the Labortatory confirmed positive man’s son as COVID-19 positive. The said person being a teacher was running a tuition centre too. So the parents of all children who were taking tuition from him, are requested not to panic but contact Nodal Officer Covid-19, Dr Tahir Lone (Mob No:-9419005305-9906669181) for further detailed precautions and necessary advices,” the message from SDM read.
In the meantime, police registered a case against a person from Aloosa area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, for concealing his travel history to avoid mandatory quarantine.
Police acting upon the information received from the Magistrate that the person of Halmatpora village in Aloosa area has concealed his travel history in order to evade necessary quarantine process. “In this connection, a case under FIR number 29/2020 under section 188, 270 IPC has been registered against and the man”, Police said.
He is a member of Tablighi Jammat and has recently returned to his native village from Nizamudin in New Delhi. He was booked for concealing the travel history.
He has been sent to Chiternar to undergo necessary quarantine and further action under the FIR shall be initiated after his quarantine period is over.
In the meantime, lockdown across Kashmir continued for the 15th day today with authorities acting tough against the violators of Government orders issued to prevent spread of coronavirus.
Police and paramilitary troopers were deployed on roads and they had erected concertina wire to block the roads to prevent movement of people and vehicles.
And government today provided additional masks, personnel protection kits to hospital for distribution among doctors and other health providers working in different hospitals in Valley.
Five ventilators were given to Government Medical College’s Associated Chest Diseases hospital in Srinagar. It was recently declared COVID hospital.
The hospitals were provided 2 lakhs masks including N95 and triple-layer masks and 700 personnel Protection (PP) kits.