Covid-19: Prayer Leader, Pregnant Woman; 3 Minors Among 19 Test Positive

Srinagar: A prayer leader, a pregnant woman and three minors were among nineteen people who tested positive for coronavirus in Valley on Tuesday, taking the number of people infected with the dreaded disease across Jammu and Kashmir to 565.

Of the nineteen fresh cases, eight are from Anantnag, two from Pulwama, three from Shopian, five from Baramulla and one from Kupwara.

A-35-year-old pregnant woman from Pushroo village of Anantnag was among those who tested positive for Covid-19 today. She has now been shifted to SKIMS Bemina here for further treatment, reports said.

The other cases include two health workers, a middle-aged X-Ray technician and a nursing orderly, both working at sub-district hospital Shangus. Five other cases from the district include a 9-year-old girl, three men and a woman.

In the neighboring Pulwama district, a chemist, who also led prayers at a local mosque, was among the two people who tested positive for coronavirus today, officials told news agency GNS. A teenager was the second positive case from the district. He had a travel history to New Delhi, officials said.

The two fresh cases came to light; days after the administration announced the district was Covid-19 free.

In Shopian district, three fresh cases were reported today, two from Heerpora village. With two new cases, Heerpora, a small village comprising around 1000 households, now has 51 COVID-19 patients even as a few among them have recovered.

Two minors were among five people who were confirmed positive for infection today in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. They include two brothers—one 7-year-old and other 14-year-old— of Zandfaran Malpora, contacts of a previous patient, 33-year-old man from Kanthbagh and an 8-year-old from Kaker Hamam besides 26-year-old policeman from Botengo Sopore who happens to be among patients seen by a doctor who later turned out to be Covid-19 patient.

“On contact tracing, 54 patients were found to have been seen by the doctor and only one among them (policeman) came out to be positive for the disease,” deputy commissioner Baramulla Dr G N Itoo told GNS.

In Kupwara, a 65-year-old man from Gonipora village tested Covid-19 positive. He is said to have contracted infection from a previous coronavirus patient.

With these fresh cases, Bandipora now has 127 COVID-19 patients, highest in all districts, followed by Srinagar (86), Baramulla (72), Shopian (71), Anantnag (62), Kupwara (49), Jammu (26), Udhampur (20), Ganderbal (15), Budgam (14), Kulgam (6), Pulwama (5), Rajouri (4), Samba (4) while Kathua, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi districts have one case each.

Meanwhile, the media bulletin released by government today said that 68262 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases are under surveillance, including 6364 persons in home quarantine, 255 in hospital quarantine, 381 in hospital isolation and 9082 under home surveillance.

“Besides, 52172 persons have completed their surveillance period. Out of 16619 test results available, 16054 samples have tested as negative till April 28, 2020,” the bulletin said.