74 test +ve for COVID-19
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR/LEH, Feb 24: The Centre has deputed high level multi-disciplinary teams to 10 States and Union Territories including Jammu and Kashmir for supporting local administration in public health measures for targeted COVID response and management and effectively tackling the pandemic.
Nine other States where the teams have been sent include Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The three -member multidisciplinary teams are headed by Joint Secretary level officers in the Health Ministry.
These teams will work closely with the States/UT administration and ascertain reasons for recent surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. They will also coordinate with health authorities of the States/UT for requisite COVID-19 control measures to break the chain of transmission, an official statement said.
The States/UT have been advised for regular critical review of the emerging situation with concerned district officials to ensure that gains made so far in COVID management are not lost.
In the letter written by the Union Health Secretary, he has exhorted 10 States/UT including Jammu and Kashmir to focus on undertaking aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and to ensure that RT-PCR testing is amplified to flush out hitherto undetected cases from the population.
These States/UT have been advised to increase testing in a focused manner in the affected districts with the appropriate split of RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests and to also ensure that all symptomatic negatives of antigen tests are compulsorily tested via RT-PCR tests. The positive persons must be promptly isolated/hospitalized, all their close contacts be traced and also tested without delay.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir today reported 74 new Corona positives cases while 69 persons recovered from the virus.
Twenty fresh cases were reported from the Jammu region including 11 in Udhampur district, seven Jammu and one each in Doda and Kishtwar districts.
Ten persons recovered from the virus, nine in Jammu and one in Doda district.
Ramban and Reasi are the only districts in Jammu region with zero active positive cases.
Jammu region now has 51911 Coronavirus cases. Of them, 173 are active positives while 51013 have recovered from the virus and there have been 725 casualties in the region.
The casualties include 373 from Jammu district, 64 Doda, 57 Udhampur, 55 Rajouri, 53 Kathua, 40 Samba, 24 Poonch, 22 Kishtwar, 21 Ramban and 16 in Reasi district.
Meanwhile, Kashmir today reported 54 fresh cases of COVID-19.
Those who tested positive include 19 from Srinagar, 14 Baramulla, three Budgam, four Pulwama, two Kupwara, nine Anantnag, one Ganderbal and two from Kulgam.
With 69 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 1,23,367, which is 97.86 percent of the total cases.
Meanwhile, the UT of Ladakh today reported 11 Corona positive cases which includes 10 in Kargil and 1 Leh district. The UT of Ladakh now has 53 active cases.