7 die at home, 21 women among casualties
35 vendors test +ve at Narwal Fruit/Sabzi Mandi
12 officials from IT, RDD, BP, Ranbir Press infected
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 12: Jammu region today reported single-day highest 46 COVID casualties in Union Territory’s total of 65 and 1759 positive cases as virus further spread to rural areas in almost all 10 districts.
In a major cause of worry for health experts, 11 deaths in the region were reported in the age group of 23-45 years while 21 women were among the dead. Also, there was no let up in deaths at home with seven COVID positives persons brought dead to hospitals by the family members.
Jammu district continued to top the COVID deaths reporting 24 new fatalities followed by eight in Rajouri, which has also shown surge in casualties as well as positive cases, five in Kathua, three Samba, two each Ramban and Udhampur and one each in Doda and Poonch districts.
A 23-year-old youth from Prem Nagar in Bhagwati Nagar area of Jammu died of COVID-19 in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. A 30-year-old youth from Bari Barahamana in Samba district also succumbed to the virus in the same hospital while 34-year-old male from Sudh Mahadev in Udhampur district breathed his last in the District Hospital Udhampur. Thirty six year-old woman from Rehari passed away in the GMC Jammu.
A 40-year-old woman from Kaskoot Banihal in Ramban district died of Coronavirus in the District Hospital Ramban while 42-year-old man from Purmandal in Samba district succumbed to the virus at the GMC Jammu. Four persons aged 45 hailing from Vijaypur Raika in Sanva, Kandi and Beragowa Kalakote, both in Rajouri and New Plot Jammu also died of COVID-19 today in different hospitals.
Seven persons who died at home include a 60-year-old from Loran Mandi in Poonch, 91-year-old man from Dewal Billawar in Kathua, 85-year-old from Mast Garh Jammu, a youth from Canal Road, 72-year-old man from Resham Ghar, 84-year-old from Nanak Nagar and 79-year-old woman from Udheywala.
Thirty five vendors at Narwal Fruit and Sabzi Mandi tested positive for the virus today out of a total of 701 tests conducted by the Health teams.
Nineteen officials were found infected by pathogen during testing at various offices today including seven in Government Ranbir Printing Press, six at Bharat Petroleum Channi Himmat and other places, two each at Income Tax Office and Rural Development Department (RDD) Talab Tillo and one each at Sheep & Animal Husbandry and Janipura Police Station.
Ninety two persons tested positive for Coronavirus at Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir, in Kathua district including 23 hailing from Punjab, 20 Uttar Pradesh, five New Delhi, four Himachal Pradesh and one Rajasthan besides 37 from Jammu and Kashmir.
Of 230 cases in Rajouri, majority were reported from rural areas including 54 Sunderbani, 52 Kalakote, 43 Darhal, 40 Rajouri, 27 Nowshera and 14 in Kandi with positivity rate of 5.7 percent, Additional District Magistrate Thakur Sher Singh said.
In Poonch also, 31 cases were detected at Mendhar, 27 Surankote, 21 Mendhar and 15 Haveli.
Kashmiri Pandit leader Piaray Lal Kaul Badgami’s 70-year-old wife also succumbed to the virus here today.
Among 1759 positive cases in Jammu region today, 621 were reported from Jammu district, 230 Rajouri, 193 Kathua, 190 Doda, 149 Udhampur, 105 Samba, 86 Poonch, 83 Kishtwar, 78 Ramban and 24 in Reasi district.
Jammu region now has 87995 Corona cases. Among them, 18438 are active positives while 68260 have recovered from the virus and there have been 1297 casualties.
The Union Territory of Ladakh today reported 135 fresh COVID positive cases including 89 from Leh and 46 in Kargil.
SKIMS team visits GMC Jammu to find reasons for more deaths
In view of significantly high mortality rate of COVID patients in Jammu and use of medical oxygen, the Government today deputed a three member expert team of doctors from Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura in Kashmir to study the reasons.
Comprising Dr Rafi Jan, HoD Medicines, Dr Mudassar Qadri, Associate Professor Medicines and Dr Mohammad Akbar, Anesthesia Department, all from SKIMS Soura, today inter-acted with GMC Jammu Principal Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma and HoDs of major departments engaged with COVID management to ascertain reasons for high mortality rate and use of oxygen.
After detailed interaction, the team briefed Principal Secretary to Governor Nitishwar Kumar through video conferencing.
Though findings of the team couldn’t be ascertained immediately, sources said they were of the view that Kashmir has four major Health institutions as compared to just one in Jammu and, moreover, the District Hospitals in the Valley are well managed to cater to rush of COVID patients as compared to Jammu.
Kashmir has good `Referral Policy’ for the District Hospitals while as majority of COVID positive patients in the entire Jammu region are being treated in the GMC Jammu.
COVID patients in Kashmir have been segregated in four Institutes while the GMC Jammu has to tackle rush of almost all critical patients.
It may be mentioned here that almost daily Jammu is reporting almost half COVID positive cases than Kashmir but the deaths are more than double than the Valley, which has raised alarm among the Government as well as health experts prompting the administration to send team from SKIMS Sources to the GMC Jammu to study the reasons.
Jammu today recorded 46 deaths but 1759 cases while Kashmir reported 2750 cases and 19 casualties.
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