J&K Covid count crosses 2,000 mark, 115 fresh cases reported
SRINAGAR: A man, who had died at a hospital in Srinagar, was tested positive for corona on Thursday taking the death toll due to the disease in J&K to 27. The UT also recorded 115 new Covid-19 cases taking the total tally to 2,036.
Officials said that the 55-yearold man, of Khanpora in Baramulla, was on Wednesday referred from GMCH Baramulla to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh(SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar with fever and respiratory distress.
“The patient died within hours. His sample was tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday,” said Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Salim Khan.
Officials said that of the new 115 positive cases, 101 were reported from Kashmir division, while 14 were tested positive in Jammu division.
Of the 10 districts in Kashmir division, fresh cases were reported in Anantnag, Srinagar, Kupwara, Baramulla, Shopian, Budgam and Pulwama districts taking the total tally of the division to 1,636.
The highest jump was in Kupwara with 45 new cases including 44 travellers, while Baramulla recorded 16 new cases including 12 travellers, followed by Srinagar and Budgam with 11 cases each. There were single digit jumps in other districts in the Valley.
Of the fresh cases in Kashmir, 11 tested positive of the 450 samples tested at CD Hospital, said Dr Salim Khan. “Among the positive cases, three are pregnant women from Anantnag and a doctor from Budgam who is posted at district hospital in Shopian,” he said.
In Jammu division, the cases were recorded in Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi districts taking the tally there to 400. “Five more patients have recovered and were discharged from different hospitals – one from Jammu and four from Kashmir,” the official statement read.
So far, 859 out of the total 2,036 cases have recovered. Of the recovered, 763 are from Kashmir and 65 from Jammu division. At present, active cases in Kashmir stand at 849 and 301 in Jammu.
CENTRE ASSURES HELP TO BRING BACK STRANDED RESIDENTS
JAMMU: The Union ministry of external affairs, in response to J&K chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam’s request for prioritising evacuation of J&K residents stranded in Dubai, Iran and Oman has tentatively scheduled a repatriation flight from Muscat to Srinagar on June 2.
The ministry, in a communiqué, conveyed that the Centre is seized of the case of 24 pilgrims from J&K who are presently in Iran and efforts are being made to facilitate their early return. “Our Mission in Muscat is in touch with our nationals in Oman and we have tentatively scheduled a repatriation flight from Muscat to Srinagar on June 2”, informed the ministry.
The communiqué further added that the ministry has already arranged a repatriation flight from Dubai to Srinagar evacuating 155 passengers including 4 infants stranded in Dubai. Besides, the Center government had earlier facilitated the return of students and pilgrims from Iran. JK chief secretary, had earlier approached the Centre with the request to bring back the UT residents stranded in Oman, Dubai and Iran under its ‘Vande Bharat Mission’.