With a woman from old town here testing positive for coronavirus, the number of COVID19 patients in this northern Kashmir district has gone up to three.
Two persons including a doctor working at Government MedicalCollege and wife of a doctor tested positive for the coronavirus recently.
The slow spread of coronavirus have created scare in thetown. Soon after the doctor was testedpositive, the health department issued a notice stating patients who visitedBaramulla hospital and were examined by the doctor should report directly tothe hospital.
The notice said any patent who will conceal his contacthistory with the doctor will be punished.
“Those patients who visited Baramulla district hospitalbetween April 13 and 14 between 10 am to 4 pm and have been examined by thedoctor who was tested positive for COVID19 may report directly to thishospital.” reads the notice issued by the hospital.
However, there has been no mention of those who visited thehospital after April 14 and were examined by the doctor.
“The hospital as well district authorities need to intensifytheir search for those patients who had visited the hospital and were examinedby the doctor during last one week. They should not restrict their search forcontacts merely for two days as mentioned in the notice” saidMudasirNaqsbandhi, a social worker.
The woman hailing from densely populated old town Baramullatoo was tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.
Since the woman has visited several places in the townincluding two health centres and a residential colony at Rangwar, Baramulla,the administration has started to identify all her contacts, primary as well assecondary.
The woman as per an official had also visited a local medicalshop at her mohalla. The shop owner has been quarantined while several otherswho visited the medical shop too have been quarantined.
“All her primary contacts including family members besidesthose where she visited had been quarantined. Efforts are on to identify allher contacts and put them in quarantine,” said Zeeshan Ahmad, Nodal OfficerCOVID19, Baramulla.