A patient who had run away after his sample was taken for COVID19 testing at SMHS Hospital was found to be positive for the virus today. He is among the five new positive cases of J&K diagnosed with coronavirus, taking the total number of cases to 75.
A 35 year old man from Srinagar had reported at RespiratoryOPD of SMHS Hospital on April 2 with respiratory distress. Based on symptoms,he was admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital and his sample was takenfor COVID19 testing. However, the authorities found the patient missing fromthe hospital in morning. Today, when the sample turned to be positive, thepatient was located with the help of Rapid Response Team of the hospital andbrought back to hospital.
Dr S Saleem Khan, nodal officer SMHS, said the patient hasbeen now admitted to Chest Diseases Hospital. He said seven of his familymembers have also been put under quarantine and their samples were being taken.
Dr Khan expressed anguish over the “reckless behavior” ofsome people over COVID19. “Such acts, where a patient runs away from aquarantine or isolation, are going to defeat us and relegate our fight againstCOVID19 useless,” he said. He said that it is possible that the patientinfected “so many more” while he was out on the move. He said the patient wasbrought to hospital in an ambulance with “all due precautions”.
Three samples were also tested positive at Sher-e-KashmirInstitute of Medical Sciences. Two of these samples, Dr Farooq Jan, MedicalSuperintendent of the hospital said, had been received from GMC Baramulla,while one patient, a contact of an already positive patient, was admitted atSKIMS. This patient, he said, is a resident of Srinagar.
One patient also tested positive in Jammu today. PrincipalSecretary to Government Rohit Kansal said his contact tracing was on. Thenumber of active cases of COVID19 in J&K is 70, Kansal said. He said threepeople have recovered and two people have died of COVID19 out of the total 75that tested positive till date.
Out of the 75 cases, 54, he said, are in Kashmir division,while 16 are in Jammu division.