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With 3,027 cases, J&K clocks lowest daily spike in May
The drop in cases detected can be attributed to the fewer tests conducted as only 31,500 tests were conducted on Friday against the average of 44,000 tests being conducted daily for the past 10 days
With 3,027 fresh infections, Jammu and Kashmir logged the lowest single-day spike in infections this month on Friday even as 60 people succumbed to the virus.
The drop in cases detected can be attributed to the fewer tests conducted as only 31,500 tests were conducted on Friday against the average of 44,000 tests being conducted daily for the past 10 days. Owing to Eid, fewer people ventured out to get themselves tested.
Of the 60 deaths in J&K, 39 were reported in Jammu division and 21 in Kashmir and of the new cases, 1,516 were detected in Kashmir, 1,511 from Jammu and 56 were travellers. The Union territory has logged 3,027 fatalities and 2, 36,790 cases so far.
May has proved to be the worst month for Jammu and Kashmir in terms of Covid cases and deaths as the monthly infections reached 60,707 and fatalities to 745 even as 36,321 patients recovered this month.
Dr Yasir Rather, professor, department of psychiatry, GMC, Srinagar, said that the Covid pandemic and its second wave had created fear and anxiety among the people, which had taken a toll on their mental health.
“It is equally important to take care of mental health as well as the respiratory system,” he said. “People should not focus on the issues which are beyond their reach. They should spend time with family and children, create innovative ways and hobbies for interaction ,” he said.
Officials said with 534 cases, Jammu had the highest number of new infections, followed by 379 in Srinagar district, 308 in Budgam, 221 in Udhampur and 197 in Kathua.
Dr Yasir stated that due to the panic, people keep hoarding essential items including oxygen which affects others who are in need of them. “This practice aggravates the situation and creates further pani,” he said.
He stressed on the routine of physical exercises and brisk walk. “Exercises and brisk walking release endorphins and keep the mood of a person elevated and helps to overcome and alleviate anxiety”.
As many as 1,81,762 people have recovered so far, taking the recovery rate to 76.76 % against around 98% in the first fortnight of February. Srinagar and Jammu districts have together contributed for about 99,700 cases and 1,436 deaths.
After 3 Jammu doctors succumb
Three Jammu doctors succumbed to the coronavirus on Thursday.
The doctors are former Poonch chief medical officer Dr Akram Malik, Dr Busharat Hussain Shah of Mendher and Dr Tahir Haroon Mirza of Rajouri.
Mirza, 51, had been posted at the Emergency Hospital, Chowki Choura, Akhnoor and was undergoing treatment at the Command Hospital in Udhampur. Malik succumbed at the Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Kakryal. Shah, an ISM practitioner, was serving in Uttarakhand, where he succumbed to the virus.
Citing the three deaths, Udhampur deputy magistrate Indu Chib urged the public to follow all coronavirus protocols “at least for their sake.”
2nd wave highly virulent, fatal: Expert
Dr Sandeep Dogra, microbiology consultant, Government Medical College, Jammu said, “The Covid virus variant from the second wave is more transmissive and more fatal than the previous one. If we do not stop its chain of transmission, nothing can stop the virus from mutating further and producing deadlier variants.”
Dogra said that while the first wave mostly affected the middle aged, the old and the sick, the second wave is targeting all age groups and is more transmissive on the whole. He says that the second wave has reached far into the rural areas of the country unlike the first one.
Cong welcomes expert team’s visit to Jammu
Congress has welcomed the Centre’s decision to send a team of experts to assess the Covid situation in Jammu hospitals amid high mortality rate and a large number of daily casualties for the last several days. Last week, the Congress had asked the government to send a team of experts from AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh to ascertain the causes behind spiraling Covid deaths in Jammu. The issue had also been raised with lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha by Congress president G A Mir and chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma.
Ladakh postpones Sindhu Darshan Festival
After the Ladakh administration’s decision to go ahead with the Sindhu Darshan festival despite the being in the midst of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic came under fire, officials on Friday said the event had been postponed.
Tourism and Culture secretary Mehboob Ali Khan clarified that the review meeting convened on May 12 to review the progress of the ongoing work at Sindhu Ghat and Indus River Front was not related to organising the Sindhu Darshan event. Initially, the darshan was scheduled to be held from June 19 to 27.
