16 deaths, 490 fresh cases in J&K

Total number of positive cases in the union territory is now 12,156 and death toll has risen to 222; active cases stand at 5,488

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday recorded the highest single-day spike of 16 deaths and 490 fresh Covid-19 infections, taking the total number of cases in the Union territory to 12,156, officials said.

Of the new cases, 428 are from Kashmir and 62 from Jammu division. Among these, 33 patients have a travel history. Among the infected are 89 CRPF personnel and 10 people from Badami Bagh Cantonment.

Officials said 16 more people have succumbed to the disease in the Kashmir valley. With this, the death toll in the UT has risen to 222—204 fatalities in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu division till date.

The UT, particularly Kashmir valley, is witnessing an increase in death toll and new cases for the past one month. As many as 121 persons have died in the past 16 days alone.

Active cases in the UT stand at 5,488 after 109 more patients recovered on Thursday. A government spokesperson said 34 people were discharged in Jammu division and 75 in Kashmir.

The number of people who have recovered since the first cases emerged on March 9 has reached 6,446, taking the recovery rate to 53%. For the past two weeks, the recovery rate has consistently gone down as new cases have been increasing more than those recovered.

Of the total recoveries, 4,844 were cured in Kashmir while 1,602 in Jammu division till date.

In Kashmir, the highest jump in cases was witnessed in Srinagar district where 259 more people tested positive—a record single day increase in the district so far—followed by Shopian at 42 and Budgam at 34. In Jammu division, the highest number of 33 cases was reported in Rajouri district followed by 14 in Jammu district.

Till date, 3.23 lakh people have been enlisted for observation — 38,581 in home quarantine, 5,488 in hospital isolation, 13 in hospital quarantine and 43,875 under home surveillance. Besides these, 2.34 lakh people have completed their 28-day surveillance period.

PVT LABS CHARGING EXORBITANTLY

FOR TEST: RTI ACTIVIST

An RTI activist on Thursday accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration for its failure to fix the rates of Covid-19 tests at private laboratories in the UT.

While addressing a press conference in Jammu, RTI activist Balvinder Singh said the government has purchased nearly 25,000 antigen rapid test kits for Covid-19 at the rate of Rs 450 per test but the private labs in the UT have been charging anything between Rs 2,500 and Rs Rs 4,500 per test.

“It is a matter of great concern that even after the lapse of four months, the UT administration has failed to fix price for Covid-19 tests in private labs”, he added.

He said the test rate should not be more than Rs 1,000 in the private labs.

Singh said he has taken up the matter with the director health services Jammu, who, he claimed, has written to administrative department for negotiation of test rates in Jammu.

Meanwhile, Jammu district magistrate Sushma Chauhan has declared Maratha Basti, Sector 5, Ward No. 54, Trikuta Nagar in the district as a containment zone and restrictions have been imposed, except for essentials.

UT TO SOON GET

700 VENTILATORS , SAYS CHIEF SECRETARY

Jammu and Kashmir will soon get 700 ventilators from the central government, an official spokesman said on Thursday. Chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, while taking stock of efforts toward mitigating the Covid-19 threat here, directed

that positive but asymptomatic patients must be immediately shifted to Covid care centres whereas only moderate and severely affected patients will be admitted in hospitals.

Subrahmanyam said to augment the shortage of medical equipment, the administration

is procuring nearly 700 ventilators from the Centre.

“In this regard, he asked the DCS to ensure their timely installation and commissioning, besides ensuring availability of oxygen cylinders and intensive care equipment,” the spokesman said.