Over 1100 tests conducted in Kashmir
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Apr 17: A 75-year-old man, a COVID-19 patient, from Sopore in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district today died at SKIMS Medical College hospital here while 19 tested positive for COVID-19 taking the number of Corona positive cases in Kashmir to 277, J&K to 333 while death toll has gone up to 5.
The 75-year-old COVID-19 patient from Armpora Sopore in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district died at a SKMIS Medical College hospital in Srinagar taking the death toll in Kashmir to 4 and J&K to 5.
The man had tested positive for Corona early this month and was shifted to SKIMS Medical College Hospital on April 2. He was hypertensive and also was suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD Asthma).
Over 1100 COVID-19 tests were conducted today in Kashmir at SKIMS and GMC Srinagar laboratories which is highest in a day so far. Among 19 tested positive; nine were from Bandipora,eight Shopian and two Kupwara district.
The Head of Rapid Response Team (RRT) for COVID-19 at GMC Srinagar, Dr Mohammad Salim Khan, told Excelsior that in last 24 hours, total 619 samples were tested at the GMC laboratory and out of which three tested positive. He said that 138 are samples are under process and 190 fresh samples were received today. However, late in the evening, out of under process 138, 5 more tested positive at GMC Srinagar laboratory.
In SKIMS Soura laboratory 384 tests were conducted today, out of which 11 tested positive and rest were negative.
The Banidpora positive cases include a 45-year-old man and his 42 year old wife besides 28-year-old man from Gund Jahangir area. They are all contacts of previous COVID-19 positive cases.
The others include 42-year-old man from Naidkhai in Bandipora; 17-year-old youth and a 60-year-old man from Gund Kaiser in Bandipora; 15-year-old boy, 64-years-old and 58-years-old men who are brothers from Gund Dacchan in Bandipora. They are contacts of the previous COVID-positive patients.
Eight positive cases in Shopian district are from Heerpora Shopian and are all contacts of previous COVID-19 patients. They include six men, a girl and woman.
The girl is 15-year-old and woman 45-year-old. The men include a 19-year-old, 27-year-old MBA student, 28-year-old man while three others are aged 30, 34, and 45 years respectively.
Kupwara positive cases include the 12-year-old brother of a previous patient and his 23-year-old cousin from Muqam-e-Shahwali.
A Police Sub Inspector in Kupwara who was contact of a COVID-19 has tested negative for COVID-19. But he will continue to be under quarantine.
There are now 333 cases in J&K – 54 in Jammu and 279 in Kashmir. Five people have died in J&K while 33 in Kashmir division- have recovered and have been discharged, leaving the active cases to 246.
So far 59205 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which includes 7631 persons in-home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 281 in Hospital Isolation, 260 in hospital quarantine and 27366 under home surveillance. Besides, 23662 persons have completed their surveillance period.
So far, 6438 test results were available, and out of them 6110 samples have tested as negative till April 17.
And several policemen were injured when they were attacked by a group of people who had offered Friday congregational prayers amid COVID-19 lockdown in Jamia Masjid Gunistan in Sumbal area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
A large number of people had assembled in Jamia Masjid Gunistan to offer Friday prayers. Police rushed to the masjid along with several officials from the administration and as soon as police reached the spot, some people fled away while as others started chanting slogans and pelted stones on police party. Several policemen were injured in the stone pelting.
Police used force to disperse the crowd in which some policemen sustained minor injuries. Situation was brought under control and 16 people were detained.
Meanwhile, a Sopore resident who recently tested positive for Coronavirus accused the administration of putting his family members at risk by allowing him to break the home quarantine without any testing.
The patient told Excelsior that after the completion of the 14-day home quarantine, doctors allowed him to mix with his family members without any testing. He said he might have unknowingly transmitted the virus to his friends and family.
“After spending a week with my family they called me for the test. Unfortunately, that came positive. Why didn’t they test me earlier? Their callousness has put my entire family at risk of catching this infection,” he said.
After the test results, his entire family including his 8-month old child has been taken to hospital for quarantine. “My wife, two kids, parents, and in-laws are all under quarantine. I can only pray for their safety,” he lamented.
He said that he had a travel history and came forward voluntarily. He said he reached Kashmir on 20th March and reported at Sub-district Hospital Sopore right away. The doctors advised him a 14-day home quarantine which he successfully completed. “I asked my family to shift to another house and lived alone for 14-days. I did not develop any symptoms,” he said.
His quarantine period ended on 6th April and being asymptomatic, doctors did not conduct any test. “I showed no symptoms at all: no cough, fever or illness. Subsequently, I was allowed to break my quarantine and mix with my family which I obliged,” he said.
He, however, was again called and tested on 13th April for corona which came positive. “It shattered me as I might have transmitted the disease to my whole family. How can they be so careless? Why did not they conduct tests before?”, he asked.
COVID cases witness jump of 125%
Irfan Tramboo
During last 9 days, the number COVID-19 positive cases across J&K has more than doubled while as testing rate also witnessed an increase as the Union Territory continues to remain under lockdown.
As per data, there were 139 cases of COVID-19 in J&K by April 7. The number more than doubled as it touched 314 cases on April 16-an increase of 125 percent within a span of 9 days.
The increase in the number of cases are being attributed to the increase in testing across J&K -5680 as on April 16.
“The testing has to increase. By this we will be able to isolate the infected while the lockdown remains in place,” a doctor said.
With regard to districts, on April 10, Bandipora had 1 positive case per 10697 people and on April 16, the district had 1 positive case per 5834 people. Similarly, Baramulla, on April 10 had 1 case per 5599 and on April 16, it had 1 case per 3999 people.
Within a gap of 6 days, the number of cases has increased by 86 percent in Bandipora, followed by district Kupwara which has witnessed an increase of 77 percent in the number of cases and Baramulla has witnessed an increase of 40 percent in positive cases.
It is pertinent to mention here that in Kashmir division, the Government has already declared districts of Srinagar, Bandipora, Baramulla and Kupwara as COVID-19 hotspots.
Amid such a situation, sources told Excelsior that the Government is not considering random sampling as of now, not even in the districts where there has been an increase in the number of cases.
“Given the fact that there already is a shortage of testing kits, Government is not considering random testing, because there are no instances of community transmission; the anti-body tests are for epidemiological use,” the source said.
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