Covid-19: 7 non-locals among 23 more test positive, toll mounts to 207 in J&K

Srinagar: The Covid-19 positive cases continues to show a steep surge in J&K UT as 23 more people including seven non-locals were tested positive on Friday, taking the total number of positive patients in the UT to 207.
Officials said that among the 23 fresh cases, 16 were tested positive in Kashmir Valley and seven in Jammu. Among the 16 cases in Kashmir, officials said ten are from Kupwara and Baramulla districts of north Kashmir while as one is from Srinagar and seven are non local vistors from Kerala, who were part of Tableegi Jamaat.
Regarding Jammu cases, they said, six are contacts of a 61-year-old woman who died on April 8 and are all residents of Udhampur district, the home town of the deceased Covid-19 patient.
A senior officer from the district said that 12 contacts of the deceased woman were immediately traced and 10 were sampled in Udhampur. Out of these, test reports of seven of them have turned out to be positive.
The woman, who was the first Coronavirus casualty in the Jammu region, was cremated in Jammu and not taken to her hometown of Tikri in Udhampur district on Thursday, officials said.
Taking to micro blogging social networking site twitter government spokesman and Principal Secretary Department of Information & Public Relation Rohit Kansal wrote “Total positive cases in J&K now 207. Jammu-39; Kashmir-168. A detailed bulletin follows shortly”. In his tweet Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhry said “8 Covid +ve (cases) in Srinagar today sound panicky, but it’s not. This is a classic ” tracing success story (sic)”, adding that “7 of the eight persons testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday were non-locals, who had been right away quarantined by the administration along with the eighth person, who came in their contact”.
Government Spokesperson Rohit Kansal who shared Choudhary’s tweet said that seven persons testing positive today were members of a religious congregation who were traced and isolated on March 27.
In its daily COVID-19 news bulletin SKIMS said that out of test reports received on Friday, ten were tested positive at SKIMS besides that four more suspected patients were admitted at the Institute.
Dr Naveed Nazir , Shah Head of department Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar said 8 persons including 7 non locals were tested positive at CD hospital today, who are in qurantine at EDI Pampore.
“Further we are going to take final sample of the patients whose repeated tests came negative and this report will come negative again, they will be discharged,” he said
Deputy Medical superintendent JLNM Rainawari Dr Tabasum said 22 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital and reports of patients whose repeated samples were taken are expected to come Saturday this week.
As per officials figures 51 positive cases including one death and one recovery are from Srinagar, 36 including two recoveries and one death are from Bandipora, 30 including one death from Baramulla, 10 from Budgam, 3 from Pulwama, 13 each from Shopian and Kupwara, 2 each from Ganderbal and Kulgam and one from Anantnag in kashmir division.
In Jammu division, 6 are from Jammu district, 17 including one death are from Udhampur, 3 from Rajouri and one from Kishtiwar who has recovered besides that there are 19 cases of non-locals, among them 2 have recovered.
As per the daily information bulletin 46,158 persons in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while as 7,126 persons have been kept under home quarantine besides that 197 persons are in hospital isolation while as 415 persons are under hospital quarantine.
According to the bulletin, 9,925 persons have completed surveillance period and 27,89 persons are under home surveillance besides that so far results of 2,961 samples are available.
Out of 2,961, the number of samples tested negative stands at 2,754 while as 207 have been tested positive. So far six persons, three each from Jammu and Kashmir divisions have recovered besides that 1 person from Jammu and three from Kashmir have died