Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today reported 42 positive cases, the highest number of cases ever since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed the total tally in the Union Territory to 496 cases.
The government, however, said that more positive cases were the result of robust testing as the target of 1,000 tests per million was achieved and more than 1,000 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.
J&K government spokesman Rohit Kansal said in a tweet that finally J&K has 1,000 test barrier but more tests have led to more positive cases. He confirmed that 42 cases tested positive for Covid-19, all from Kashmir.
Officials told NVI that in the Jammu region there are 57 cases and 437 in Kashmir. Pertinently, earlier in the day, a 72-year-old Covid positive patient succumbed in a Srinagar hospital, the sixth death in J&K so far.
Earlier 5 people including a woman had died due to coronavirus infection in the UT.
An official said that 14 cases were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab at SKIMS and 28 others at Chest Disease Hospital Dalgate, Srinagar.
Among the fresh 42 cases, 23 are from Anantnag, 5 from Srinagar, 7 from Bandipora, 3 each from Baramulla and Shopian while 1 is from Kupwara district.
With 42 fresh cases, the total number of cases has reached 496 in Jammu and Kashmir including 109 recoveries and 6 deaths.
G H Yatoo, Nodal officer for Covid-19 at SKIMS, said that out of the 431 samples tested, 14 were tested positive at SKIMS while as many as 417 were tested negative.
He further added that all the 14 positive people have come in contact with already positive patients.
Saleem Ahmad Khan, Nodal officer for covid-19 at GMC Srinagar, said that 459 samples were tested at CD hospital Lab in the last 24 hours, of which 28 were tested positive. Pertinently, officials said that in the last 4 days, 115 people have been tested positive in J&K.
