Srinagar, March 25 (GNS): Four people, all of whom came in contact with the sexagenarian man from Hyderpora who had arrived from New Delhi recently and tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, tested positive for the disease on Thursday, officials said.
Officials said that all four are residents of Hajin Bandipora and had come in contact with the 65-year-old man from Hyderpora Srinagar, who originally hails from Sopore and had returned from New Delhi recently after being part of a ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ attended by people from different countries.
Professor Farooq Ahmad Jan, the medical superintendent of SKIMS, told GNS the six test reports were received today and four of them came out to be positive and remaining two as negative.
The four persons who tested positive today are aged between 25 to 33 years, sources said.
Principal Secretary, Planning & Development & Information, Rohit Kansal said preliminary findings suggest they were close contacts of Srinagar patient who tested positive yesterday. (All 5 reported to have participated together in religious event,” Kansal, who is also government spokesman, added.
As of now, eight persons have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Valley while the tally of such patients in the entire J&K has gone up to 7. Three cases were reported from Jammu earlier this month. The government informed that one among the patients has recovered.
Meanwhile, Professor Jan said that five more people with coronavirus-like symptoms were admitted to SKIMS and their samples sent for tests.
Earlier, in the day a suspected coronavirus patient, with travel history to Hungary, fled from the isolation ward of Chest Disease Hospital and she was later traced as she reported to SKIMS.
A resident of Batamaloo Srinagar, the 25-year-old woman, according to the doctors, is a ‘strong suspected case’. She was admitted yesterday at CD hospital.
Also 23 more persons with coronavirus-like symptoms were admitted to Chest Disease (CD) hospital today.
“We also received test reports of 24 persons and all of them came out to be negative,” Dr Naveed Nazir, HOD CD hospital, told GNS. He said these samples were taken at CD hospital as well received from other hospitals in the Valley.
The Government also informed that 4765 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance and one among the positive cases have recovered in Jammu and Kashmir.
Regarding the woman who fled from the hospital, he said that she was not referred to SKIMS and that she has put life of others to danger by her act.
“There is proper procedure and lot of care has to be taken from taking suspected patients from one place to another. As she was not referred, her act has put to risk life of others.”
Last week also, a female patient suspected of COVID19, had escaped from the Chest Diseases Hospital. A returnee from Saudi Arabia, she was later traced and readmitted. Her test reports came out to be negative, they added.
Meanwhile the Government =informed that 5124 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance and, so far, 11 cases tested positive (10 active positive and 01 recovered) in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus (COVID-19), 3061 persons have been kept under home quarantine while as 80 are in hospital quarantine.
Persons who are under home surveillance stand at 1477 while as 506 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
The Bulletin further said that 326 samples have been sent for testing of which 294 tested as negative while as 21 reports are awaited till March 25, 2020.
The advisory urged public to strictly follow directions of the Prime Minister who has called for complete lockdown in the entire nation for the next 21 days in an effort to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic as it is essential to break the chain of its transmission.
“People are therefore appealed to stay in their homes and take the lockdown imposed by Government with utmost sincerity as carelessness of few can throw us into grave jeopardy, keeping in view the global experiences of countries which have been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 through implementation of social distancing measures unlike some other countries where thousands of people have died,” reads the advisory. (GNS)
