3 found infected with UK strain, 4 with triple mutations
* Farooq hospitalized following low oxygen saturation
* Dozen students among 393 positive in Kashmir
Sanjeev Pargal/ Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR/ LEH, Apr 3: Two persons died of COVID-19 in Jammu region and 108 tested positive for the virus including 16 officials of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited at their Zonal Office and Patel Nagar (Canal Road) Branch while three persons hailing from within Municipal limits of Jammu City have been found infected with United Kingdom (UK) virus strain and four each with triple and double mutations. Though no Corona fatality was reported in Kashmir today, 393 more persons were found infected.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and National Conference president, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days back, was today shifted to SKIMS hospital for treatment.
After showing some symptoms, Dr Abdullah tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30. He was undergoing treatment at home but a team of doctors visited his residence this morning following which they found his oxygen saturation down and advised him to get hospitalized. He has been admitted at COVID-19 designated ward in SKIMS Soura.
Abdullah’s son and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah in a tweet this morning shared the news about the health condition of his father and said that his family was grateful to everyone for their support and prayers.
“Based on the advice of doctors to enable them to better monitor my father, he has been admitted to hospital in Srinagar. Our family remains grateful to everyone for their messages of support & their prayers,” Omar tweeted.
Meanwhile, doctors told the Excelsior that three persons have been found positive for UK virus strain in Jammu so far and all of them hailed from within the City limits. Four samples each were found carrying double and triple mutations, they said. Identity of all of them has been kept secret.
Soon after new virus strains were found in United Kingdom, the Indian Government had ordered that all those returning from that nation will be subjected to testing for new strain. Presently, all those coming back from any foreign country are being tested for different variants of COVID, they said.
Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu Principal Dr Shashi S Sudhan said the new virus strain has fast transmission and the people must strictly adhere to COVID management protocol including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Besides those eligible should take the COVID jab, she added.
“Fast Mutations are inherent of RNA Viruses like SARS COV2 ,which take place only inside the human host while the virus is multiplying and breaking the transmission chain by COVID appropriate behaviour only can limit mutational events,” Dr Sharma added.
An 80-year-old man hailing from Rehari Colony in Jammu, who was co-morbid and positive for COVID-19, died in ASCOMS Sidhra while 62-year-old man from Nowgam Banihal in Ramban district succumbed to the virus in Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar. The Nowgam man had no other ailment, the doctors said.
Two deaths have taken COVID toll in the Jammu region to 740, the highest being 382 in Jammu district followed by 64 Doda, 58 Udhampur, 56 Rajouri, 53 Kathua, 41 Samba, 26 Poonch, 22 each Ramban and Kishtwar and 16 in Reasi district.
Sixteen officials of Jammu and Kashmir Bank today tested positive for COVID-19 during Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT).
Nodal Officer Satish Kumar Sharma told the Excelsior that 11 Jammu and Kashmir Bank officials reported positive for Coronavirus at Zonal Office Panama Chowk and five at Bank’s Patel Nagar (Canal Road) branch. A total of 325 J&K Bank officials were today tested for COVID-19 in Rapid Antigen Testing in Jammu City and outskirts as a part of special drive of testing launched by the district administration.
Four at Government High School Bhagwati Nagar, two officials of J&K Minerals and one at Director Geology & Mining also tested positive.
It may be mentioned here that the district administration has stepped up testing in Jammu in the last few days to detect the virus.
Officials said almost all 16 Bank officials, who were found infected for pathogen, were asymptomatic and were regularly attending to their duties. Their timely detection could prevent further spread of the virus.
Soon after the Bank officials tested positive for the virus, the office premises at Panama Chowk and Bank branch at Patel Nagar were sanitized. As tomorrow is Sunday, a decision on reopening of Zonal Office and Bank branch at Patel Nagar will be taken Monday morning, the officials said.
Another doctor in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu today tested positive taking number of doctors found infected during last two days to two.
Jammu district continued to account for majority of Coronavirus cases in the Jammu region. Out of 108 fresh cases reported today in the region, 69 belonged to Jammu district followed by 18 Kathua, eight Samba, five Udhampur, four Rajouri and one each in Doda, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi districts. Kishtwar was lone district in the region where no new cases were reported today.
Among 108 positive cases, 22 were travelers and 86 locals.
Thirty one persons recovered from the virus in Jammu region today, 21 of them in Jammu district, four Udhampur, three Kathua and one each at Rajouri, Samba and Ramban districts.
Jammu region now has 53245 Corona cases. Of them, number of active positive cases is 840 as 51665 have recovered from the virus and there have been 740 casualties in the region.
Among 840 active positives, the maximum 589 are in Jammu district, 87 Kathua, 32 Udhampur, 29 Samba, 26 Rajouri, 23 Ramban, 18 Poonch, 17 Kishtwar, 11 Doda, and eight in Reasi district.
Meanwhile, authorities in Kulgam district closed five schools after 18 students and a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.
The positive cases include 10 students from Government High School Sopat, four students from Middle School Bonigam, two students and a teacher from Middle School Devsar, two from Government Higher Secondary Katrasoo and a student from Government Middle School Sopat.
And three private educational institutions and two coaching centers were also closed in Kulgam for not following COVID-19 SOPs.
Authorities today ordered closure of two Government Girls Higher Secondary Schools in Sumal and Sopore area of North Kashmir districts after some students and staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Two students tested positive for COVID-19 at Government Girls Higher Secondary School Sumbal after which the decision to close the school has been taken by the administration. The schools have been closed for five days.
Four staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Government Girls Higher Secondary School Sopore in Baramulla district following which it was closed for one week.
In Bandipora district, five schools have been closed in the last few days after many students were found to be infected with the coronavirus.
And authorities declared village Shikari Mohalla Keegam in Kupwara district as red zone after five cases of COVID-19 were reported from there.
“In view of prevailing situation and detection of five positive cases of COVID-19 virus…the village Shikari Mohalla Keegam is declared as Red Zone and consequently there shall be no inward or outward movement of any person(s) from the Zone and the people shall stay indoors strictly,” read an order issued by the District Magistrate Kupwara Imam Din.
“Further surrounding villages of Shikari Mohalla Tehsil Drugmulla are declared as buffer zones and the inhabitants of these areas shall also restrict their movement and shall not allow relatives visitors to visit their homes without written permission of Administrator concerned”, the order read.
“Tehsildar Drugmulla shall act as Administrator for red and buffer zones,” it said, adding, “further, the Administrator shall ensure screening of households in the Red Zone and furnish information as per the prescribed format to this office by 1 pm on daily basis.”
And in Kashmir, 393 persons tested positive for COVID-19 today.
Those who tested positive include 207 from Srinagar, 89 Baramulla, 35 Budgam, 14 Pulwama, 12 Kupwara, 11 Anantnag, 8 Bandipora, 5 Ganderbal, 9 Kulgam and 3 from Shopian.
Those who tested positive in Srinagar include five CRPF personnel, posted at Srinagar wing of High Court.
The number of positive cases in Kashmir division have reached 79,194 including 75,195 recoveries and 1,265 deaths.
The number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 3,574 including 2,734 from Kashmir division.
With 140 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 126,860, which is 95.78 percent of the total cases.
Meanwhile, 37 fresh COVID cases were today reported in the Union Territory of Ladakh, all in Leh district.
The UT now has 306 active positive cases including 297 in Leh and nine in Kargil.
It has 130 casualties—86 in Leh and 44 in Kargil.
Parents concerned
over functioning
of schools
Parents have expressed concern over administration’s decision to keep schools functioning despite several instances of teachers and students testing positive for COVID-19.
A number of parents worried about the health of their kin rang up the Excelsior and conveyed their displeasure over continued working of educational institutions saying they should be closed and the authorities should switch over to online functioning.
In view of fresh surge in cases with infection reaching educational institutions, the authorities should close down the schools to save children from infection, they said.
It may be mentioned here that yesterday the School Education Department had empowered the District Magistrates to take call on whether to allow functioning of educational institutions offline or online.
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