Jammu: Health Department and civil administration in Kathua have started administering precautionary booster doses to the Amarnath pilgrims in Lakhanpur and at the base camps in Jammu.
“These booster doses are given to those who have completed 6 months of previous two doses,” said an official in the health department in Jammu. The official told Greater Kashmir that these precautionary doses were being provided to the yatris in the base camp at Bhagwati Nagar and other camps in Jammu.
“The COVID-19 has spread faster in the last three days although no serious patient has been admitted so far,” the official added, while informing that they also conducted a mock drill to operationalise DRDO Jammu in the wake of the spike in the pandemic.
The official said, “The DRDO will be operationalized as and when the need arises. We are fully prepared with the doctors and paramedical staff.”
“Besides COVID-19 situation, a proposal has also been made to use the DRDO hospital at Bhagwati Nagar for infectious diseases and the process in this regard has also been initiated,” another official from the health department said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rahul Pandey said, “99 percent pilgrims have already taken both the doses. However, those, who have completed six months of their doses, are being administered precautionary booster doses at Lakhanpur immediately after they arrive here.”
He said, “We have also deployed a medical team at the entry point (Lakhanpur) for yatris and tourists. Sampling teams have also been deployed there.”
“We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the district. Recently, around 20 trainees of Police Training School Kathua tested COVID-19 positive. However, they were asymptomatic and isolated and treatment was also provided to them accordingly,” he added. He said, “These trainee policemen had gone on leave on the occasion of a festival.”
Meanwhile, Jammu district on Thursday recorded 200 positive cases, out of total 277 cases in the region. The active positive cases in the Jammu region increased to 1176. There was an increase of 180 active positive cases in the Jammu region within 24 hours. Yesterday, the number of active positive cases was 996.