The death toll due to Covid -19 Monday went up to 45 in Jammu & Kashmir after four more patients died in Srinagar while 198 fresh cases were detected taking the total tally of coronavirus cases to 4,285 and active cases to 2,916.
On ground zero, the situation is worrisome as several health institutions are struggling to cope up with the rush of patients especially in Kashmir valley.
A cursory look at the official figures tabulated by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir clearly suggests out of 3,363 coronavirus cases, only 774 are returnees while 2,589 cases are local residents of Kashmir valley.
Shopian district with only 20 returnees has so far recorded 401 coronavirus positive cases while Baramulla district has recorded 54 positive cases of returnees and 428 local residents.
According to health experts, it is a clear indication that community spread has already started in pockets of Kashmir.
Sharing his assessment over the constant rise in the number of positive cases in Kashmir valley, Dr. A.G. Ahangar, director of the super specialty Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) sunday said that community spread of Covid -19 has already started in Kashmir.
Dr. Ahangar said, “Kashmir is facing community spread of Covid -19 . This is a reality and we must accept it and learn to live with it”.
Dr. Ahangar said there has been a large spike in positive cases indicating obviously that more and more people are getting exposed to the virus.
He said people need not panic, but should take maximum precautions to minimise the damage caused by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, according to the media bulletin, 108 patients recovered and were discharged from different hospitals on Monday.
According to official sources, “a CRPF man posted in Anantnag district died at SKIMS Soura, while another civilian from Khanyar area of Srinagar who had met with an accident and tested COVID positive at CD hospital also breathed his last early Monday morning”. During the day, another 55-Year-old man from Pampore town of south Kashmir's Pulwama district died of Covid-19 infection in Srinagar Hospital while another Covid-19 positive patient from Handwara area of North Kashmir's Kupwara district died at CD hospital, taking the death toll to 45.
According to the media bulletin, out of 198 fresh cases, 33 cases were reported from Jammu division while 165 cases were reported from Kashmir division. Moreover, 108 more COVID-19 patients were recovered and discharged from various hospitals, 12 from Jammu division and 96 from Kashmir division.
According to the media bulletin, out of 4285 positive cases, 2916 are Active Positive, 1324 have recovered and 45 have died; 05 in Jammu division and 40 in Kashmir division.
According to official sources, the highest number of 40 cases were reported from Budgam followed by 33 cases from Baramulla and 30 cases from Shopian. So far Kulgam district has recorded the highest number of 537 cases followed by 482 cases of Baramulla and 466 cases of Srinagar. Anantnag and Shopian have also recorded 458 and 401 cases respectively.