One COVID death each in Jammu, Leh
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR/LEH, Dec 21: First three Omicron cases in the Union Territory were today reported from Talab Tillo and Bantalab areas on the outskirts of Jammu City even as one person each died of COVID in Jammu division and Leh district in the UT of Ladakh today.
In J&K, 104 new COVID positive cases were reported while the number was 13 in Ladakh.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Jammu Dr JP Singh told the Excelsior that first three Omicron cases have been reported from two different localities of Jammu but the trio have already tested negative for the virus now.
However, he said all three persons, their contacts and residents of localities will be tested again tomorrow and he will himself visit the two localities for on spot assessment of the situation along with Health teams.
“All three are asymptomatic and completely stable. They have already tested negative for the virus,” Dr Singh said.
Reports said those who tested positive for Omicron were two women from Saraswati Vihar in Talab Tillo Bohri and a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya Bantalab, who happened to be kin of a CRPF personnel
Surprisingly, all three have no travel history.
The Talab Tillo women had attended marriages and the Health Department is trying to ascertain whether any foreigner or local with foreign travel history had attended the marriages.
As far as KV student is concerned, the authorities are trying to find out source of the infection as she too has no recent travel history.
According to sources, samples of Saraswati Vihar women were sent for genome sequencing on November 30 while that of KV student was dispatched on December 8 to NCDC New Delhi.
“The samples were sent as routine exercise as five percent of COVID positive cases had to be sent for genome sequencing,” sources said and added that if three Omicron cases have been found from among five percent positives, the numbers could go up if rest of 95 percent samples are also tested for Omicron.
It may be mentioned that there is no machine for genome sequencing in J&K and, therefore, the samples have to be sent to New Delhi resulting into delay of 21 days in the report of two women and 13 days in case of the student.
Deputy Commissioner Jammu Anshul Garg today declared Lane Near Easy Day in Sector No. 2 at Trikuta Nagar Extension as micro-Containment Zone.
Besides, Lane near Park in Sector 4 Roop Nagar and Lane near Walnut Factory Sanjay Nagar in Jammu have also been declared as micro-Containment Zones.
Meanwhile, a 62-year-old unvaccinated man, who was co-morbid died of COVID-19 in the Government Medical College, Jammu today. He hailed from Buta Nagar locality of Janipura.
This has taken COVID toll in Jammu region to 2195 and Jammu district to 1155.
Twenty six persons today tested positive for the virus in Jammu including 18 in Jammu district, three each in Rajouri and Doda and one each in Kathua and Kishtwar districts.
Twenty nine persons recovered from the virus leaving number of active positive cases in Jammu region to 332.
In Ladakh, a 97-year-old man from Pinchemik in Nubra area of Leh district succumbed to COVID-19 taking Corona toll in the UT to 218 including 160 in Leh and 58 in Kargil.
All 13 COVID positive cases in Ladakh were reported from Leh district.
Ladakh now has 181 active positive cases including 151 in Leh and 30 in Kargil district.
Meanwhile, Kashmir today reported 78 fresh cases of COVID-19.
Those who tested positive include 53 from Srinagar, 20 from Baramulla, 4 from Budgam, 5 from Pulwama, 10 from Kupwara, 2 from Anantnag, 15 from Ganderbal and 1 from Kulgam.
The number of cases in Kashmir division has reached 214,143 including 210,829 recoveries and 2,319 deaths.
The number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 1,327 including 995 from Kashmir division.
With 139 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 334,195 which is 98.28 percent of the total cases.
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