One death, 62 new cases in J&K; count 1,183
SRINAGAR: A 29-year-old woman, who had tested positive for Covid-19, died here on Sunday, taking the death toll to 13 in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Besides, 62 more people, including a police personnel, tested positive for the virus in the Union Territory on Sunday, raising positive cases to 1183, he said.
The woman from Habba Kadal area of Srinagar died in the afternoon at CD Hospital here, nodal officer Covid-19, GMC Srinagar, Dr Salim Khan said.
He said the woman was previously operated in SMHS Hospital here by ENT surgeons for Ludwig’s angina (submandibular abscess) and mediastinitis and had septic shock.
“She was shifted to surgical
ICU there and tested positive for Covid-19. She was taken to CD Hospital two days back where she died on Sunday,” Khan said.
With her death, the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the Union Territory has risen to 13.
DOCS’ OPINION DIVIDED ON SPIKE IN CASES
Meanwhile, J&K had witnessed sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases when it detected 108 positive patients, highest in a day, on Saturday, taking the count in the Union Territory to 1,121.
However, experts and doctors are of the opinion that surge in cases is not alarming.
Most of these cases had come from ten districts of Kashmir, however, from last few days, Jammu has also been witnessing surge in the positive cases. Some officials attribute the sudden spike to arrival of thousands of people from outside state.
Dr Javeed Malik, professor and head of department, Chest Medicine SKIMS Medical College Bemina, said, “Going by current trends and by global comparison, the surge is not alarming.”
Dr Salim Khan, HOD, social and preventive medicine, GMC Srinagar, said the people should not get scared from the increase in the cases. “Most of the new cases come from travellers, who had arrived in J&K from different parts of the country and now cases are coming from Jammu province as well due to arrival of people from other states. We are also testing more people everyday.”
Khan, who is also Covid-19 nodal officer, said the good thing is that everyone entering the UT is being screened and are being kept into quarantine.
“Only whose reports come out as negative are being released,’’ he said, adding, travellers are highrisk people and vulnerable to the virus.
However, some doctors have raised red flag over the spike in Covid-19 cases, Dr Iqbal Saleem, professor of surgery at GMC, Srinagar, has dubbed it alarming.
Another doctor termed it a tip of iceberg. “11 women with pregnancy getting infected from a single district is result of routine antenatal screening in the district. Tip of iceberg,” tweeted Dr Naikoo, assistant professor surgery while referring to the cases among the pregnant women in south Kashmir’s district.
Despite spike in cases, officials say that J&K has good recovery rate and low death ration which is an encouraging sign, besides, majority of patients have mild illness.