COVID19: 10-year-old among 3 fresh cases in Kashmir, J&K tally crosses 50

Srinagar, Mar 31: The number of covid-19 patients in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday crossed 50 as three more persons have been confirmed to have contracted the virus, all of them from Kashmir including a ten-year-old boy, who had hugged a man later tested positive for coronavirus.

Quoting sources, news agency GNS reported that the boy, a resident of Eidgah Srinagar, tested positive for the pathogen and he had no travel history. “He had hugged a man associated with Tableeghi Jamaat, who later tested positive for the coronavirus,” a senior doctor at SKIMS said. He also confirmed that the boy’s test came out to be positive early morning.

Confirming it, Nodal officer for coronavirus control at SKIMS, Dr G H Yatoo said that the boy reported to SKIMS on Monday and accordingly his sample was taken which came out to be positive today.

The two other persons who tested positive are presently admitted to JNLM hospital.

With these three cases, the number of covid-19 patients in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 52.

On Monday, J&K recorded second single day jump in covid-19 cases as 11 persons, included a doctor in Jammu, were confirmed to have contracted the dreaded disease. 

In an ominous development, this was the first case of a doctor contracting the novel coronavirus in the erstwhile state. 

Officials said that the doctor was working as a microbiologist at the microbiology laboratory of Government Medical College Jammu. While the doctor has been moved to isolation, all staff working in the laboratory and others who might have come in his contact were shifted to quarantine.

Meanwhile, the government has said that several areas surrounding location of covid-19 cases or untraced contact cases had to be sealed in Jammu, Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, and Rajouri in the interest of controlling spread of the dreaded disease. 

“Aggressive contact tracing of positive cases key to control spread of #Coronavirus. Yesterday several areas surrounding location of positive cases or untraced contact cases had to be sealed in Jammu, Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Rajouri,” tweeted Principal Secretary Information Department, Rohit Kansal.

“This is purely in the interest of controlling spread of #coronavirus, and helping identification of contacts on real time basis,” Kansal, who is also the government spokesman, said.  “Inconvenience so caused is temporary in nature but benefits will be immense. Request all to cooperate and take it in right spirit,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said the sealing of the areas is important and indispensable. “With some more cases coming positive these areas will be restricted till all precautions and measures are in places,” he added. (GNS)