Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Apr 18: Eight people today tested positive for COVID-19 in Kashmir taking the number of Corona positives in the Valley to 285 and the Jammu and Kashmir tally has gone up to 340.
Five cases were reported from Bandipora today. They include 38-year-old man from Quil Muqam who is Imam at Gund Jahangir, one of the worst hit areas in the district. The others include a 64-year-old man from Garoora village, 18-year-old and 20-year-old men from Gund Dacchan and a 25-year-old man from Pathkoot Bandipora. All of them are contacts of previous COVID-19 patients.
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Two other cases were reported from Shangus Nowgam area of Anantnag and include 60-year-old man and his 35-year-old daughter-in-law.
A 55-year-old man from Beerwa area of Budgam also tested positive today. He is the uncle of a policeman who was tested positive for COVID-19 early this week.
Medical Superintendent of SKIMS Soura Hospital, Dr Farooq Jan, today said that 324 samples were tested in last 24 hours in the SKIMS laboratory and six them were positive. He said that the laboratory received 250 fresh samples. He added that 22 Corona positive patients are admitted in the hospital.
The Head of Rapid Response Team (RRT) for COVID-19 at GMC Srinagar, Dr Mohammad Salim Khan, told Excelsior that during last 24 hours, 324 samples were tested in the GMC laboratory and out of which 7 tested positive. “Two are from Anantnag and 5 from Shopian. 96 samples are under process and 137 have been received today”, he said.
Professor Javed Malik, Head of Chest Medicine at SKIMS Medical College Bemina, told Excelsior that 106 patients were admitted in the hospital. He said that all of them are stable with maximum with mild symptoms and 5 of them are diabetic. He, however, said that two are critical and are admitted in High Dependency ward with one of them–a 72-year old man and another 38 years old woman from Sopore.
In Srinagar, 78 people have tested positive and one among them has died and 12 recovered. 80 tested positive in Bandipora, out of whom 11 recovered and one died. 42 tested positive in Baramulla and two died. In Budgam 13 tested positive and 7 of them recovered. In Pulwama, 3 tested positive and one recovered. 22 tested positive in Shopian and two recovered. 27 from Kupwara, 14 from Ganderbal, 5 from Kulgam and 3 from Anantnag have tested positive so far.
60,419 persons in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while as 6071 persons have been kept under home quarantine besides that 285 persons are in hospital isolation while as 252 persons are under hospital quarantine.
23,114 persons have completed surveillance period and 25,692 persons are under home surveillance besides that so far results of 6,937 samples are available.
Out of 6,937, the number of samples tested negative stand at 6,596 while as 341 have been tested positive. Among them, 285 are active, 51 persons have recovered and 5 persons have died.
Meanwhile, the District Magistrate Anantnag today suspended Executive Officer Municipal Committee Acchabal, Abdul Majid Haji, for not adhering to the SOPS.
As per the SOP, all the vehicles entering and leaving Red Zone should be fumigated and the area sanitized twice a day. But the officer has violated the SOP and was suspended and attached.
And the lockdown across Kashmir continued for the 31st 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 acting tough against the violators of Government prohibitory orders, Srinagar Police today arrested 17 persons for defying the restriction orders imposed by Government.
Srinagar Police have arrested 17 persons in the jurisdiction of Police Station Sadder for defying the Govt restriction orders over COVID-19.
Cases under relevant Sections of law have been registered in Police Station Sadder and further investigations been taken up.