GMC Jammu doc among 11 more test +ve for Coronavirus, tally 49
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Mar 30: The number of COVID-19 cases rose to 37 in Kashmir as eight more persons tested positive for Coronavirus while a woman has recovered and tested negative.
Eight persons today tested positive in Kashmir with four of them admitted in SKIMS Soura, while two each are presently in JLNM Srinagar and district hospital Pulwama respectively.
Two among them are residents of Sedow and Ramnagri of Shopian district in South Kashmir and have a travel history to Indonesia.
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The duo had also shared a Sumo vehicle on way to home from Jammu to Srinagar with a COVID-19 positive man from Bemina, Srinagar.
The two persons admitted in JLNM hospital include a father-son duo from Bemina area of Srinagar. One is 61-year-old man and his 32-year-old son had returned from Saudi Arabia on March 16, sharing the same flight as that by the Kashmir’s first COVID-19 patient, a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar, Srinagar.
Four persons today tested positive for COVID-19 and they are admitted in SKIMS. They include a 36-year-old resident of Lal Bazar who had recently returned from Kolkata while two others include 30-year-old man from Saderkote Balla Bandipora who is contact of a COVID-19 man and another a 27-year-old man from Soibugh area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district who has travelled to Odisha as part of a Tablighi Jamaat and had returned recently. Another is a 24-year-old from Noorbagh area of Srinagar and had returned from Haryana recently.
![A deserted street during lockdown in Srinagar on Monday. —Excelsior/Shakeel](http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/page1-3-22.jpg)
—Excelsior/Shakeel
With these eight fresh cases, the number of COVID-19 patients has gone up to 37 in Kashmir.
Director SKIMS Soura, Professor A G Ahangar, said that the first positive case, an elderly lady with history of foreign travel, responded very well to the treatment and has recovered with the repeated tests as negative in 24 hours on the 14th day. She has shown progressive recovery and is being shifted to Level-II for further Quarantine purpose.
The patient will be sent home after spending the next 14 days in the quarantine where she will be observed. “We will not be doing anything during these 14 days, but monitor her condition,” Dr Aijaz Kaul, In-charge COVID-19 clinic of SKIMS told Excelsior.
“For 10 days, she was given antivirals and over these days she has improved a lot,” he said, adding that as per ICMR guidelines the patient is to be tested twice within a particular time before saying that the patient has been cured.
Symptomatically, the doctor said, she has had high fever coupled with stiffness and weakness. “The high fever which even went up to the scale of 104 was her main complaint”, he said.
The SKIMS Director said that till date, the Institute has admitted 133 cases, of which 21 have been discharged, while nine positive cases continue to be under treatment.
He said that Viral Diagnostic and Research Laboratory (VDRL) SKIMS has tested 220 samples so far, out of which 12 tested positive, while 208 others are negative. However most of these patients admitted for observation continue to be under surveillance in coordination with the Directorate of Health Services and other Nodal Agencies of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that 152 suspected coronavirus patients were treated in SKIMS so far out of whom 33 were discharged and 91 are under hospital quarantine. He said that 19 patients were admitted to SKIMS with Coronavirus like symptoms.
He said that nine positive cases are under treatment in the isolation ward of the hospital.
HoD Chest Disease Hospital, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah said that 29 test reports were received and of them 25 came out to be negative and four as positive. “Two of them are admitted in District hospital Pulwama and two others are at JLNM hospital”, he said.
Shah said as per the new circular, only COVID-19 patients are to be admitted to the hospital now. He said due to increasing rush, it was decided that all suspected cases will be sent to NIT Hazratbal and only positive cases will be kept here. “It was a decision of Government of J&K to shift all 80 suspected patients to NIT Hazratbal to decongest the medical facility so that full attention and care is given to positive cases only who are 15 in number”, he said.
Police today booked 44 persons and seized 70 vehicles for violating Government order on movement amid Coronavirus.
Police in its efforts to ensure complete lockdown across Handwara booked 30 persons for violating prohibitory orders in jurisdiction of Police Stations of Handwara and Vilgam.
Cases (vide FIR numbers 89/2020, 90/2020, 91/2020 under relevant Sections of law) were registered in Police Station Handwara against 17 persons and a case (FIR number 18/2020) was registered against 13 persons at Police Station Vilgam who were defying Government orders. Two vehicles have also been seized by Police Station Vilgam.
Sopore Police booked 14 persons who were violating government orders on coronavirus. In this regard Police registered a case (FIR No. 57/2020 under relevant sections of law) at Police Station Sopore and further investigation has been initiated.
In Awantipora, police have seized 23 vehicles and 14 bikes from different areas of Awantipora for violating Government orders. Among the seized vehicles, 15 vehicles and 7 bikes were seized by Police Station Awantipora, 6 vehicles and 2 bikes were seized by PS Pampore and two vehicles and five bikes were seized by Police Station Khrew who were found plying in the said areas without the passes issued by the competent authorities.
Police have once again requested the general public to follow the restrictions imposed by Government in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and those who are violating the restrictions will be dealt strictly.
In the meantime, curfew across Kashmir continued for the 11th consecutive day today. It was imposed last week after the first positive case of deadly Coronavirus was detected in the Valley.
The streets continued to be deserted and only people with emergencies were found out besides people on essential duty.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in strength today who enforced the restrictions across the Kashmir to prevent coronavirus outbreak.
Police today booked and arrested several people for violating prohibitory orders in Kashmir and authorities appealed people to stay indoors.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Vijay Kumar today asked people not to travel on the National Highway without passes. He said that anyone who travels towards Jawahar Tunnel will be quarantined for 14 days.