Pr Secy, Comm/Secy among nearly 80 infected in Civil Sectt
17 in Spl Bureau office, many in Banks, 18 in IIT Jammu positive
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 12: Jammu and Kashmir today recorded unprecedented surge in COVID cases with 1695 persons testing positive for the virus and two fresh casualties with the Healthcare and frontline workers bearing the brunt while number of positives was close to 80 till late this evening in the Civil Secretariat, the seat of the Government, including IAS, and other senior officers.
“Till this evening, 168 Healthcare professionals including doctors and Nurses have tested positive for COVID-19 during past couple of days and the numbers are rising,” Government Medical College (GMC) Principal Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma, who is also HoD Microbiology Department, told the Excelsior.
“Situation is alarming. We are trying to cope with it. Silver lining, however, is that admissions are very less and majority of COVID positives are in home isolation,” Dr Sharma said and called upon the people to implement COVID Appropriate Behaviour.
Almost all Healthcare workers who have tested positive were double vaccinated.
An HoD and many senior officers in the GMC administration were infected today.
Among 1695 COVID positive cases, Kashmir division accounted for 883 and Jammu region 812.
“The lists of positive cases carried name of number of doctors, Nurses and other Healthcare workers. And the numbers are rising,” the officials said.
Another institution worst hit by the pathogen is the Civil Secretariat where number of COVID positive officials during ongoing testing has reached close to 80.
An officer in the rank of Principal Secretary and another posted as Commissioner/ Secretary besides some other officers have also tested positive for COVID-19. The Principal Secretary, who tested positive, was infected during first wave also.
Officials in the Chief Secretary’s Office and General Administration Department (GAD) have been found infected.
“The testing will continue till all officers/officials are tested for COVID-19,” the officials said.
They told the Excelsior that the sections from where the officers/officials are testing positive are being sanitized.
Eighteen faculty members, staffers and students tested COVID positive in the IIT Jammu today during random testing of about 300 persons. Classes in the IIT will be conducted online while staff and faculty members will continue to work from home till further orders.
Seventeen officers/officials in the Special Bureau office at Jammu were tested positive for the virus out of a total of 100 tests conducted today.
Eight officials in the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) have also been infected.
A number of Frontline workers from Army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Jammu and Kashmir Police have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Jammu region.
Thirteen more persons reported positive in the Jammu University today taking number of total positives during last three days to 46.
Nine Indian Reserve Police (IRP) personnel were found having viral infection in Reasi while four employees of Municipal Committee Vijaypur in Samba district were infected.
Fifteen officials in Jammu and Kashmir Bank’s Chawri Bazaar branch in New Delhi have tested positive while J&K Bank’s Main Branch in Rajouri was closed after three employees tested positive while two employees each were found infected in J&K Bank’s Main and Singala branches in Mendhar and HDFC bank branch at Bus Stand in Mendhar in Poonch district. All these three branches have been closed.
Five staffers in the Chief Medical Officer’s office in Udhampur have also been found infected with pathogen.
Four officials in Government Higher Secondary School Kotli Bhaga in Reasi district have tested positive for the virus. The CEO Reasi has ordered closure of the school for three days and testing of the staff.
People said that the Government should take adequate steps to check COVID spread as the cases are rising alarmingly.
“The Government has imposed night restrictions only from 9 pm to 6 am when people are already indoors due to harsh winters,” they said, adding the time has come to strictly enforce COVID Appropriate Behaviour like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
They were of the view that the Government should take steps to avoid crowding in the markets and other places.
Meanwhile, a 74-year-old man from Udhampur, who was father-in-law of a prominent Neuro-surgeon posted in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu died of COVID-19 in the GMC this evening.
Among 812 fresh cases in Jammu division, more than half i.e. 438 were reported from Jammu district followed by 93 in Kathua, 85 in Reasi, 68 Udhampur, 42 Rajouri, 30 Samba, 22 Poonch, 15 Ramban, 10 Doda and nine in Kishtwar.
With 140 recoveries, Jammu region’s active positive cases stood at 3348.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Ladakh today reported 41 fresh COVID positive cases including 33 in Leh and eight in Kargil district.
Active positive cases in Ladakh have gone up to 406—383 in Leh district and 23 in Kargil.
Meanwhile, after the setting up of more COVID testing laboratories in Kashmir, over 40,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted today across the Valley, the highest number of tests conducted so far in a single day.
A spokesperson of the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir said that 40,400 tests in a single day is a record testing achieved so far in the past two years of the pandemic in the Valley.
Giving further details the spokesperson said today a total of 11,273 RT-PCR tests were conducted while a total of 29,163 Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) were conducted throughout the day.
Kashmir today reported 883 cases of COVID-19.
Those who tested positive include 320 from Srinagar, 250 from Baramulla, 116 from Budgam, 30 from Pulwama, 52 from Kupwara, 40 from Anantnag, 36 from Bandipora, 18 from Ganderbal, 20 from Kulgam and one Shopian.
The number of cases in Kashmir division has reached 218,240 including 213,010 recoveries and 2,336 deaths.
The number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 6,242 including 2,894 from Kashmir division.
With 262 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 337,412 which is 96.90 percent of the total cases.
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