With 163 fresh infections, J&K crosses 5,000-mark in 98 days

SRINAGAR/JAMMU:: Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday recorded 163 fresh Covid-19 infections, taking the total number of cases in the Union territory to 5,041, officials said.

The UT has crossed the 5,000 mark in 98 days.

Of the new cases, 28 are from Jammu division and 135 from Kashmir. Among these 32 patients have a travel history. The active cases stand at 2,593 and 2,389 people have recovered from the disease.

Four more fatalities were also reported in the UT—one in Jammu and three in Kashmir— since Saturday with which the death toll has risen to 59, officials said.

Two patients, including a 60-year-old man from Srinagar and a 75-year-old resident of Baramulla died on Saturday at the two branches of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences.

A 69-year-old businessman has also died due to the virus at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu. Dr Dara Singh, medical superintendent, said, “He had returned from Delhi and was admitted on May 29 at the Chest Diseases Hospital and subsequently shifted to GMCH on May 31. He was suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), severe sepsis, asthma and acute respiratory distress syndrome.”

The fourth patient who succumbed to the virus was 85-yearold man from Kupwara. He died at the Chest Diseases Hospital in

Srinagar. A doctor said he was suffering from chronic kidney disease.

The highest jump in cases from Kashmir division was in Shopian where 45 more people tested positive for the disease followed by 33 in Pulwama, 16 in Kulgam, 11 in Budgam and 10 in Srinagar. The other districts saw single digit increase in cases.

In Jammu division, fresh cases were recorded in six of the 10 districts taking the division tally to 1163. All the districts with positive cases in division reported single digit increase.

Also, 120 more patients were discharged on Sunday.

Till date, 2.35 lakh people in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance — 40,634 in home quarantine, 31 in hospital quarantine and 52,682 under home surveillance. Besides these, 139,201 people have completed their 28-day surveillance period.

FOUR MORE PEOPLE SUCCUMB TO THE VIRUS IN JAMMU & KASHMIR; DEATH TOLL NOW 59