4 new Covid19 cases in Kashmir, J&K toll 11

Four new patients tested positive for COVID19 in Kashmir today, taking the total number of positive cases in J&K to 11, eight of them in Kashmir alone.

Principal secretary to J&K government, Rohit Kansal,said all the four were residents of Bandipora. “Preliminary findings suggestthat they were in close contact of the Srinagar patient, who tested positiveyesterday. All the five (including patient who tested positive on Tuesday)  are reported to have participated together ina religious event,” he wrote on Twitter.

   

With the four new cases today, reported positive fromSher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS)  and three cases on Tuesday, Kashmir has seena sudden surge in COVID19 cases, seven in two days. The first COVID19 case ofKashmir came to fore on March 18, a 67 year old lady who has been declared”fully recovered” by authorities. In Jammu, three patients have tested positivefor COVID19 till date.

Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, in-charge COVID19 at Chest DiseasesHospital, said 38 samples were taken from contacts of patients who testedpositive yesterday. In addition, he said, 10 samples were taken from patientscurrently admitted at the hospital.

He said 70 people, all contacts of the positive cases werebeing tested.

Meanwhile two samples were found to be negative at SKIMS, ofstudents currently undergoing quarantine in Srinagar.

At Chest Diseases Hospital, 24 samples tested negativetoday. These, Dr Saleem Khan, nodal officer COVID19 at Government MedicalCollege Srinagar, said included samples received from hospitals outside GMCumbrella.  As per the media bulletinissued by Government, 326 samples have been sent for testing of which 294tested as negative while as 21 reports were awaited. The bulletin said 5124travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put undersurveillance. It further  said that 3061persons have been kept under home quarantine while as 80 are in hospitalquarantine. Persons who are under home surveillance stand at 1477 while as 506persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.

An advisory was also issued by Government which underlinedfor complete lockdown. “People are appealed to stay in their homes and take thelockdown imposed by Government with utmost sincerity as carelessness of few canthrow us into grave jeopardy, keeping in view the global experiences ofcountries which have been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19through implementation of social distancing measures unlike some othercountries where thousands of people have died,” reads the advisory. Theadvisory urged public to strictly follow directions of the  Prime Minister who has called for completelockdown in the entire nation for the next 21 days in an effort to contain theCOVID-19 pandemic as it is essential to break the chain of its transmission.

On the implementation of Social Distancing measures, theadvisory said that it is the key to stop and prevent the spread of Covid-19from those who are infected to those who are not infected. The interventionincludes remaining out of crowded settings, avoiding mass gatherings, andmaintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others.

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