The number of COVID-19 patients in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday rose to 56 as seven more persons have been confirmed to have contracted the dreaded disease, all of them from Kashmir, and include a ten-year-old boy, who had hugged a man who later tested positive for the pathogen. With these fresh positive cases, the number of COVID-19 patients in Kashmir Valley has gone up to 44 and 56 in entire J&K—12 are in Jammu division. Official sources told GNS that the boy, a resident of Eidgah Srinagar, tested positive for the pathogen and he had no history of travel. “He had hugged a man who later tested positive for the coronavirus,” a senior doctor at SKIMS told GNS. He also confirmed that the boy’s test came out to be positive early morning.Confirming it, Nodal officer for coronavirus control at SKIMS, Dr G H Yatoo told GNS that the boy reported to SKIMS on Monday and accordingly his sample was taken and it came out to be positive.Three among other six persons who tested positive are also admitted to SKIMS while as many others—a mother-son duo and 30-year-old youth are admitted to JNLM hospital Rainawari and CD hospital Dalgate Srinagar respectively.Regarding the three fresh COVID-19 patients admitted to SKIMS, they said two are from Saderkoot Bala Bandipora—one a 23-year-old who had recently returned from New Delhi, where he participated in a religious function and other, is in his early 30s and is said to be a contact of the previous COVID-19 patient. The 4th one is a 34-year-old from Siobugh Budgam who had returned from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah.Dr Yatoo, who is also HoD hospital administration of SKIMS, confirmed that four persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He said presently 14 COVID-19 patients are under treatment in an isolation ward while 83 suspected patients are in quarantine while 89 persons have been discharged. 16 more suspected persons were admitted to the hospital today. “274 tests were done till date in microbiology lab and 258 reported negative and 16 positives,” he added. Regarding two persons who tested positive for the disease at JLNM, sources said they include a 65-year-old woman from Bemina Srinagar and her 30-year-old son. The woman’s other son, a 25-year-old youth, had tested positive for the virus four days ago and is also admitted in JLNM, they said.
The seventh person who tested positive for the coronavirus today is a 30-year-old youth from Pakherpora Budgam and he was put in quarantine at Zukura campus of Kashmir University a few days ago being a contact of previous COVID-19 patient, they said. After his test came out to be positive, he has been shifted to CD hospital.Sources also revealed that there are two ‘high viral load’ cases in Pulwama district and their tests along with 17 others from the district hospital have been sent to CD hospital Srinagar. “Some test reports were already received but the reports regarding two high-viral load cases and some others are awaited.” With these seven more persons testing positive for the globally raging disease, the number of COVID-19 patients in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 56.On Monday, J&K recorded a second single-day jump in COVID-19 cases as 11 persons were confirmed to have contracted the dreaded disease in J&K and included a doctor in Jammu.In an ominous development, this was the first case of a doctor contracting the novel coronavirus in the erstwhile state.Officials said that the doctor was working as a microbiologist at the microbiology laboratory of Government Medical College Jammu. While the doctor has been moved to isolation, all staff working in the laboratory and others who might have come in his contact were shifted to quarantine.Surveillance Officer Manzoor Ahamd Qadri told GNS that the people need to panic and the surge which is being seen in positive cases is due to aggressive testing and tracing of the contacts of the COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile, the J&K Government informed that 15001 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance so far.As per the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus, 9895 persons have been kept under home quarantine (including facilities operated by Govt.) while as 350 are in the hospital quarantine.Persons who are under home surveillance stand at 3334 while as 1371 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.It said that 861 samples have been sent for testing of which 804 tested as negative and two test reports are awaited as on 1500 hours on Tuesday. (GNS)