J&K’s grimmest day yet as virus claims 73

May has turned out to be deadliest month for J&K as the monthly toll touched 940. With 71,869 infections, the month also clocked the highest number of cases so far.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed another grim day on Monday with 73 people losing their lives to the novel coronavirus, the highest-ever daily fatalities since the outbreak, taking the overall death toll to 3,222.

Officials said with 613 cases, Jammu had the highest number of new infections, followed by 495 in Srinagar, 376 in Budgam and 228 each in Anantnag and Udhampur. (Waseem Andrabi/HT)

The UT also recorded 3,344 fresh infections, taking the UT’s Covid count to 2,47,952. Of the 73 deaths in the UT, 54 were reported in Jammu division and 19 in Kashmir. Of the new cases, 1,926 are from Kashmir, 1,418 are from Jammu, while 76 were travellers.

May has turned out to be deadliest month for J&K as the monthly toll touched 940. With 71,869 infections, the month also clocked the highest number of cases so far. Around 48,437 patients have recovered this month.

Officials said with 613 cases, Jammu had the highest number of new infections, followed by 495 in Srinagar, 376 in Budgam and 228 each in Anantnag and Udhampur. The number of active cases has reached 50,852, officials said. Most cases have been added after February 9 when the UT had the lowest active case tally of 593.

Dr Lenah Bashir, lecturer microbiology, Government Medical College, Srinagar, said cough, cold, loss of taste and smell, and fatigue were mild symptoms while breathlessness indicated severe infection.

“Severe symptomatic patients should be shifted to the hospital for treatment and monitoring,” she said.

She said that double mutant strains of SAR COV2 are showing heightened infectivity and evading the immune systems, hence increasing mortality. “Previously,infected people have a greater chance of re-infection due to the double mutant,” she said.

92 inmates test positive for COVID-19 in two prisons

Ninety-two inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 in two prisons of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday, and asserted that all the positive cases are asymptomatic and have been isolated in separate barracks.The latest detection in Udhampur and Kupwara district jails through special Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) screening pushed the active cases among inmates to 115 out of a total of over 4,570 prisoners in all the jails, officials said.

The special drive in the two jails was carried out nearly two weeks after a prominent separatist leader and chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, who was lodged in Udhampur district jail under Public Safety Act, died of Covid at a government hospital on May 5.

J&K gets 7 new oxygen plants from Germany

J&K on Monday received seven new imported oxygen plants from Germany with a cumulative generation capacity of 7,100 litres per minute (LPM). The oxygen plants were carried by an Indian Air Force aircraft from Munich in Germany and reached Srinagar Airport in the afternoon. “New Oxygen Plants including 5 of 1000 LPM, one of 1500 LPM and one of 600 LPM capacity will further add 7100 LPM to the existing availability,” Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha said in a tweet.

He said this will hugely augment oxygen supply to the health infrastructure in the UT.

“My deepest gratitude to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi for providing 7 Oxygen plants to JK UT. With his intervention, these Oxygen plants were airlifted by @IAF_MCC from Munich, Germany and safely landed at Srinagar Airport today at 12:45PM,” the LG added.

Construction workers given aid

Jammu Registered construction workers were given ₹1,000 as Covid relief through direct benefit transfer in Reasi and Udhampur.

Reasi deputy commissioner Charandeep Singh released ₹47.14 lakh as Covid relief fort the 4,714 registered labourers in the district while Udhampur DC  Indu Kanwal Chib released ₹1.2 crore for 12,000 workers in the district .

In Ramban, the district administration issued 71 e-passes to facilitate the movement of people facing medical emergency or other exigencies amid the curfew. The movement passes will be issued only in such cases where people have to travel for medical emergency or any other exigencies, which will be verified by supporting documents submitted by the applicant while applying online for the passes.

So far, the administration has received 145 online applications, of which 71 passes have been approved.

(With agency inputs)