72-yr-old man dies, death toll 6
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Apr 25: A 72-year-old man today died in Kashmir while there was a major spike in the COVID-19 cases in the Valley as 42 tested positive taking the Jammu and Kashmir tally of positive cases to 496.
A 72-year old man from Qazipora in Tangmarg area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district died at SKIMS hospital in Bemina today, making it the fifth Corona death in Kashmir and sixth in J&K.
The man had tested positive for the pathogen earlier this month and was admitted to the hospital on April 13. He had comorbidity and was suffering from ailments including pneumonia and hypertension. He was admitted in the High Dependency Unit of the hospital and was shifted to ICU yesterday where he died today.
And today there was surge in the COVID-19 positive cases in Kashmir with 42 cases reported in last 24 hours. These fresh cases include two pregnant women and three policemen. The positive cases were reported after over 1000 tests were conducted in last 24 hours in the two viral diagnostic laboratories at SKIMS Soura and Government Medical College Srinagar.
Among 42 cases, 14 were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab of SKIMS Soura and include seven from Bandipora, three each from Shopian and Baramulla and one from Kupwara district of North Kashmir.
The 28 positive cases at GMC testing lab in Srinagar include 23 from Anantnag district and five from Srinagar.
With these fresh 42 cases in Kashmir, the positive cases in the Valley has surged to 382 and J&K COVID-19 tally has gone up to 496. And with today’s Corona death of a man at SKIMS Bemina in Srinagar, the death toll in Jammu and Kashmir has gone upto six. Out of the positive cases, 378 are active and 112 have recovered.
Among the 23 fresh cases from Anantnag, five belong to a single family from Kulail village. They include two women aged 30 and 60 years and three men aged 30, 35- and 60 years. A 39 year old woman and her two sons aged 4 and 7-years from the same village also tested positive.
The two pregnant women who tested positive for Corona in the district includes 30-year-old from Mukhdampora and 26-year-old from Nowgam. The other cases from Anantnag district include 8-year-old child from Kanilwan and 10 persons from Kharpora village including two girls aged 15 and 16 years, four women aged 18, 40, 48, and 60 years and four men aged 19, 52, 62 and 65 years. A 46-year-old man from Pushroo village of the district also tested positive.
The seven persons who tested positive in Bandipora today include four men aged 23, 31, 43 and 80 years, a girl aged 15 years and two women aged 32 and 60 years. They are all contacts of COVID-19 positive people. Four of them are from Naidkhai, two from Gund Kaiser and one from Gund Jahangir village of Bandipora district.
Five positive cases were reported from Srinagar and they include a 60-year-old man and 55-year-old woman from Bemina besides one person each from Takanwari, Nishat and Gulab Bagh areas in the periphery of Srinagar.
And in Shopian district of South Kashmir, three more tested positive from worst hit Hirpora taking the number of positive cases in the village to 48. Those who tested positive in the village include 65-year-old and 40-year-old women besides 19-year-old man.
Baramulla district’s three cases are policemen-two of them aged 40-years each from Malpora Sheeri are uncles of a COVID-19 positive cop. The duo is posted at District Police Lines Baramulla while the third cop is 50-year-old, a resident of Takiya Sultan village and is posted in DIG office Baramulla.
Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Dr GN Itoo said that samples of all other policemen posted at DPL Baramulla as well as DIG office are negative and there is no need to panic. “They were all already in quarantine,” he said.
One person tested positive in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district and he is a 50-year-old man who is a healthcare worker from Ganipora village of Handwara.
“One health care worker from Gonipora earlier deployed at COVID Hospital Kupwara has tested positive today. The patient was already under isolation and primary contacts are being shifted to quarantine for sampling. All other samples for today including those from Red Zone Anderhama have tested negative. Total active cases for Kupwara stand at 38 now,” the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara tweeted.
With these fresh cases, Bandipora now has 115 COVID-19 patients, highest in all districts, followed by 84 in Srinagar, 63 in Shopian, 55 in Baramulla, 46 from Kupwara, 38 from Anantnag, 14 each from Ganderbal and Budgam, six from Kulgam and 3 from Pulwama.
Government has enlisted 66343 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases for surveillance which include 6324 persons in-home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 263 in Hospital Quarantine, 376 in hospital isolation and 10974 under home surveillance. Besides, 48400 persons have completed their surveillance period. So far 12835 tests were conducted and 12341 samples tested as negative and 496 as positive.
As five more fresh cases were reported from Srinagar city today, the strict lockdown will continue. “New MHA order allows local authorities to take call per situation. See the Covid map of Srinagar and think. We’ve 5 new cases after break of more than a week. Trust us for all your needs. Local solutions being worked out. Situation calls for more caution,” Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary tweeted.
And the lockdown across Kashmir continued for the 38th 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.
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