Iran-returned woman positive in Ladakh
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 9: Four family members of a woman who became first Coronavirus casualty in Jammu region yesterday, tested positive for COVID-19 today, taking total number of cases across Jammu region to 36 while a woman who had returned after pilgrimage from Iran tested positive in the Union Territory of Ladakh, where total cases went up to 15 and active cases to four.
Command Hospital in Udhampur which has been conducting lot of tests for COVID-19 today took samples of 10 contacts of the deceased woman, who hailed from village Tikri in Udhampur district, and four of them tested positive tonight.
Lt Col Inam Danish Khan from the Command Hospital Udhampur told the Excelsior late tonight that four contacts of the woman tested positive.
“We took 10 samples for testing, all of whom were contacts of the deceased woman. Four of them tested positive and six negative,” Lt Col Khan said.
With this, total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Jammu region has gone up to 36 and number of active cases to 32 as one of the patients has died and three others have been treated and discharged from the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu.
All family members and contacts of the deceased woman are being subjected to sample testing and administrative quarantine by the district administration.
Meanwhile, the woman who died of COVID-19 last night and was first Coronavirus casualty in Jammu region, was not taken to her hometown of Tikri in Udhampur district and was cremated in Jammu as per wishes of the family members.
Authorities in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, where the woman died, were of the view that there should be a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in dealing with the dead body of Coronavirus victim as today they faced lot of problems in getting the positive woman cremated along with the family.
“The administration should assign the task of helping family in cremation to civil authorities including the Municipal Corporation as the GMC staff has to attend patients and perform other tasks in the hospital,” they said, adding that the authorities should also sanction a dedicated ambulance to carry the body of COVID-19 victim, if the need arises in future.
Tikri village has been declared as ‘Red Zone’ by the Udhampur administration while its surrounding villages were declared as `Buffer Zones’ and both inward and outward movement of the people has been strictly restricted there after the death of COVID-19 positive woman.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sanjeev Verma told the Excelsior that Hotspots in Jammu, Udhampur and Rajouri, the three districts affected by Coronavirus in Jammu region, have been identified and strict surveillance is being maintained there to ensure that there was no movement of the people except those dealing with emergency services.
This, Verma said, has been done to prevent spread of the virus.
It may be mentioned here that only three out of 10 districts of Jammu region have been affected by Coronavirus while rest seven districts-Kathua, Samba, Reasi, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban were free of the virus.
Commissioner/Secretary Health Ladakh Rigzin Samphel told reporters in Leh that authorities today received reports of seven samples, one of which was positive for COVID-19.
The positive patient is a woman hailing from village Chushot Yokma in Leh who had returned after pilgrimage from Iran, Samphel said, adding the woman had landed in India on March 22 from Iran and at Leh on March 27 from an Air India flight. She had been kept in quarantine center and was asymptomatic.
The woman’s sample was taken for testing and she turned out to be positive for Coronavirus. As per protocol, she has been shifted to isolation ward of dedicated COVID hospital in Leh.
While part of Chushot Yokma village was already under Containment/Red Zone, more area of the villages has now been extended in the containment list and contacts of the woman have been taken for quarantine and will be subjected to sample testing.
With today’s positive case, number of Coronavirus positive people in the Union Territory of Ladakh has gone up to 15.
However, Samphel said, there were only four active cases of Coronavirus in the Union Territory, two each in Leh and Kargil district. Eleven Coronavirus victims have been treated and discharged from the hospital.
“The Ladakh administration is also planning conduct of random testing for COVID-19,” Samphel said.
Meanwhile, 11 activists of Tablighi Jamaat were today allowed to go home after completion of quarantine period in Mendhar town of Poonch district.
Police personnel clapped as the Tablighi Jamaat cadre left for their homes from the quarantine centre. All of them had tested negative for COVID-19.
In Samba district also, 120 more people were allowed to go home after completion of their quarantine period.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
