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J&K: 7 pregnant women, 5 doctors among 182 new cases, tally at 3324

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The number of COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir today climbed to 3,324 as 7 pregnant women and 5 doctors were among 182 fresh cases that tested positive for the deadly virus.

Officials said that among 182 new cases that were detected in the UT today, 34 were tested positive at SKIMS, 64 at CD hospital, 13 at JVC Bemina, 62 at Army Command Hospital, Udhampur and rest at other hospitals.

“Among the new cases were seven pregnant women and five doctors too,” they said, adding that the number of pregnant women who have been infected by Covid-19 has crossed 100 in the UT.

Among 182 new cases, 108 belong to Kashmir division while 74 are from Jammu division, officials said, adding that the total number of positive cases in Kashmir has reached 2515 including 910 recoveries and 32 deaths while the number of cases in Jammu has reached to 809 including 176 recoveries and 4 deaths.

The officials said that the total number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 2202 including 1573 from Kashmir division and 629 from Jammu division.

Cases tested positive today in J&K include 6 from Anantnag, 2 from Kulgam, 22 from Srinagar, 9 from Budgam, 13 from Kupwara, 42 from Shopian, 7 from Baramulla, 4 from Bandipora, 2 from Pulwama and 1 from Ganderbal in Kashmir division while as 72 from Jammu division include 12 from Jammu, 11 each from Ramban and Kuthua, 26 from Udhampur and 4 from Samba, 5 from Doda, 2 each from Poonch and Rajouri and one from Reasi.

As per officials figures, 383 positive cases include 5 deaths and 155 recoveries from Anantnag, 366 including nine deaths and 143 recoveries from Srinagar, 364 including 4 deaths and 51 recoveries from Kulgam, 331 including 82 recoveries and 1 death from Kupwara, 308 including 104 recoveries and 7 deaths from Baramulla, 282 including 133 recoveries and 3 deaths are from Shopian, 180 including 136 recoveries and 1 death from Bandipora, 138 including 67 recoveries and 2 deaths from Budgam, 121 including 13 recoveries from Pulwama and 42 including 13 recoveries from Ganderbal.

In Jammu division, 190 including 63 recoveries and 2 deaths are from Jammu district, 164 including 16 recoveries from Ramban, 94 including 32 recoveries from Kathua, 123 including 29 recoveries and 1 death from Udhampur, 55 including 21 recoveries from Samba, 65 including 2 from Poonch, 48 including 5 recoveries from Rajouri, 18 including 3 recoveries from Reasi, 17 including 4 recoveries from Kishtwar, 35 including 1 recovery and one death from Doda.

As per the daily information bulletin, 204,900 persons in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while 44,017 persons have been kept under home quarantine. Besides, 2202 persons are in hospital isolation while 48 persons are under hospital quarantine.

According to the bulletin, 103,007 persons have completed the surveillance period and 55,520 persons are under home surveillance.

So far, results of 202,257 samples are available out of which 198,933 stand negative while 3224 have been tested positive. Among positive cases, 2202 are active, 1086 persons have recovered and 36 have died.

J&K Govt employees to attend offices on regular basis from tomorrow

Jammu (NVI): The government offices in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall function with all the officers and staff, at all levels, attending office on a regular basis on all working days with effect from tomorrow (June 6).

A government order issued in this regard read that employees who are at higher risk i.e. older employees, pregnant employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions should take extra precautions and should preferably not be exposed to any front-line work requiring direct contact with the public and the office management would facilitate work from home wherever feasible.

The order further read that routine issue of visitors/temporary passes should be suspended and only those visitors with proper permission of the officer, who they want to meet, should be allowed after proper screening.

“All the measures prescribed in the SOPs on preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in offices by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, shall be followed at all times besides the bio-metric attendance shall continue to be suspended until further orders,” the order read.

The Heads of the Departments/Offices shall ensure strict compliance of these instructions, the UT government said in a release.

Ladakh standoff: India, China agree to handle ‘differences’ through peaceful talks

New Delhi (NVI): Indian and Chinese officials today held diplomatic talks over the military standoff in eastern Ladakh and both sides agreed that they should handle the differences through “peaceful discussion”.

The meeting came a day ahead of the military-level talks between India and China over the recent border dispute between the troops of two nations that created tension on the Line of Control (LAC).

The talks were held through video conference between Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) and Wu Jianghao, Director General in Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations including the current developments, without naming the Ladakh standoff.

“In this context they recalled the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, that peaceful, stable and balanced relations between India and China will be a positive factor for stability in the current global situation,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

“Both sides also agreed that in accordance with the guidance provided by the leadership, the two sides should handle their differences through peaceful discussion bearing in mind the importance of respecting each other’s sensitivities, concerns and aspirations and not allow them to become disputes,” it added.

Apart from that, the two sides also exchanged views on the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and cooperation in various multilateral forums, the Ministry said.

For over a month, the Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a bitter military standoff in at least four areas in eastern Ladakh.

Southern Army Commander visits Jodhpur military station

Jodhpur (NVI): Southern Army Commander Lt Gen CP Mohanty today visited Jodhpur military station to oversee the operational readiness, training and administration of the formation.

During the visit, the General Officer also reviewed the preparation of station units for battling COVID-19 as part of their duties towards aid to civil authorities, said Colonel Sombit Ghosh, PRO Defence Rajasthan.

The Army Commander complimented all ranks for their dedicated efforts and high standards of training in guarding the borders and maintaining the sovereignty of the nation, the spokesman said.

He was also satisfied to know that the Army and the state authorities share an excellent rapport and are ready to win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Colonel Ghosh said in a statement.

Now, you can have eco-friendly chocolate

Kocoatrait claims to be world’s first zero-first waste chocolate.

New Delhi (NVI): You may have heard about many eco-friendly items but are you aware of eco-friendly chocolates?

Chennai-based ‘Cocoatrait’ is the company that says it produces eco-friendly chocolates with 100% up-cycled paper and plastic-free outer packaging.

“We have not taken anything away from the planet earth for packaging. Further, our chocolate volume/size is optimised for reducing the transportation volume and reduce carbon footprint,” says L Nitin Chordia, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of the company.

“We use an up-cycled paper-free, plastic-free, tree-free, compostable, bio-degradable and recyclable wrapping material which is made using reclaimed cotton and our wasted cocoa husk. This material is eco-friendly and we follow the circular economy model where we take very little away from the earth and give back to the soil when the use of the product is over,” he told NVI.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester in UK in 2018 had shown that the chocolate industry produces tonnes of greenhouse gases in a year.

As the production of chocolate requires raw materials such as cocoa powder, milk, sugar and energy including heating, cooling, and transport which produces tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year across the world.

“Around 500 sheets of A4 size non-recycled paper use 6 percent of an average size tree. We have saved 1/3rd a tree,” Cocoatrait says.

“Each tree removes 3 kgs of Carbon Dioxide emissions per year from the air. So far, the company has removed around 1 kg of carbon dioxide emissions from the air,” it added.

Chordia said India should have a good balance of brands that are local and international. “This way we create value in India and the value is consumed in India. This will hopefully help us import lesser chocolate. The way I look at it is that, for each chocolate bar of mine, the consumer has potentially purchased 1 lesser imported chocolate bar,” he said.

Five-day-old infant is youngest Covid-19 patient in J&K

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A five-day-old baby in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district tested positive for coronavirus today, taking doctors by surprise, health officials said. The infant has become the youngest Covid-19 patient in J&K as yet.

This also comes on a day when health experts raised an alarm over what they claimed as ‘community transmission’ of Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir.

They said the newborn baby girl has become the youngest Covid-19 patient in UT, triggering a series of questions on whether the baby got infected with the virus in the womb of her mother, who was already positive, or after birth. The doctors have not come with any explanation so far.

A doctor claimed that the baby tested positive for the virus at Chest Diseases hospital, a few days after her mother was tested positive for the virus.

Block Medical Officer (BMO) Qaimoh, Kulgam, Dr Abdul Gani said that they were taken by surprise to hear that a newborn baby has tested positive. “Both, mother and the baby are asymptomatic and are undergoing treatment at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag,” he said.

The doctor said that the frequent visits of pregnant ladies to hospitals and clinics are making them more vulnerable to Covid-19 and as seen today, newborn babies are also getting infected now, which is worrisome. To recall, a few days ago, a 20-day-old baby from Satwari area of Jammu had tested positive.

Official figures suggest that there is around 20 percent of Covid-19 positive patients in J&K who are between the age group of 0-19. However, none of this age group has died here so far.

Associate Professor Medicine GMC Srinagar, Dr Nisarul Hassan said that as of now, there is no evidence to suggest that a baby can get infected within the womb of his/her mother.

“It seems that newborn transmits the virus soon after birth while behind handled by the Covid infected mother. The virus gets transmitted during handling within 24 to 48 hours. Second, to find out whether the baby transmits the virus within the mother’s womb, there is a need to test the placental tissue, Cord sampling, or amniotic fluid sampling of the Covid positive mother. If maternal fetus transmission is proved, then that’s a disaster,” Dr Nisar said.

He, however, said mother’s milk doesn’t carry the virus for the newborn.

EAM Jaishankar lists India’s priorities ahead of key UNSC elections on Jun 17

Jaishankar

New Delhi (NVI): India today laid out its priorities for its candidature for the UN Security Council 2021-22, with the Government saying that it can play a positive role in this “extraordinary situation” as the global community is facing multiple challenges amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

While launching India’s campaign to secure an elected seat on the UN Security Council, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar listed out the countries priorities ahead of the June 17 UNSC elections.

Notably, India is a candidate for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term beginning in January 2021.

Jaishankar said this election will take place at the United Nations on June 17 and India is the single endorsed candidate from its regional group.

As India expects to be elected for an eighth term on the UNSC this month, the EAM launched a brochure setting out India’s five key priorities for its campaign to secure the seat:

  • Seeking responsible and inclusive solutions
  • Concrete and result-oriented action at the Security Council for an effective response to international terrorism
  • Reformed Multilateralism to reflect contemporary realities
  • A comprehensive approach to peace and security, guided by dialogue, mutual respect, commitment to international law, for which we also hope to help streamline UN Peacekeeping
  • Technology with a human touch

“In this extraordinary situation, India can play a positive global role. We have always been a voice of reason and a votary of international law. We advocate dialogue, consultation and fairness in our approach to global issues. And we emphasize global development, addressing climate change and eradicating poverty as central to planet’s future,” he said.

Jaishankar also said that these priorities, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words, reflect India’s Five “S” approach to the world:

  • Samman (Respect)
  • Samvad (Dialogue)
  • Sahyog (Cooperation)
  • Shanti (Peace); to create conditions for universal
  • Samriddhi (Prosperity)

He further added, “Through this approach, we seek to move toward a ‘New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System’, – also known as NORMS.”

Apart from this, the External Affairs Minister also said that India is facing four “very different challenges” to international peace and security, ten years since we were last elected in the UN Security Council:

  • The normal process of international governance has been under increasing strain as frictions have increased.
  • Traditional and non-traditional security challenges continue to grow unchecked. Terrorism is the most egregious of such examples.
  • Global institutions remain unreformed and under-representative. They are therefore less able to deliver.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and its grave economic repercussions will test the world like never before.

COVID cases in Afghanistan climb to 18,969, death toll at 309

New Delhi (NVI): The Afghan authorities confirmed 915 new coronavirus cases in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 18,969, according to Afghan media reports.

In the past 24 hours, nine patients have died due to COVID-19 virus in the country.

Among the fresh cases, 423 were reported in Kabul, the country’s hardest-hit area.

In addition, 201 positive cases were reported in Herat, 116 in Balkh, 29 in Kunduz, 23 in Kunar, 21 in Farah, 21 in Sar-e-Pul, 21 in Kandahar, 20 in Helmand, 15 in Samangan.

Likewise, eleven cases in Paktia, seven in Nangarhar, four in Wardak, and three in Laghman.

Apart from this, among total deaths reported in last 24 hours, two were in Herat, three in Balkh, two in Samangan and two in Kunduz, as per media reports.

Meanwhile, Afghan officials have been outraged by the public’s un violation of the lockdown and preventive measures towards the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Public Health said, 45,139 people have been tested for coronavirus in the country so far.

At least, 1,763 people have recovered while 309 died from the respiratory disease in Afghanistan.

Bangladesh COVID-19 tally exceeds 60,000; 811 dead

Bangladesh lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): Bangladesh reported spike in coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours with the detection of 2,828 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 60,391.

The country also recorded a total of 30 death due to the novel coronavirus during this period, raising the death tally to 811, according to United News of Bangladesh.

So far, a total of 12,804 people have recovered from the deadly contagion, after 643 more patients made recovery.

The recovery rate in the country is at 21.20 per cent while the mortality rate is at 1.34 per cent today.

In addition to this, 50 coronavirus testing laboratories across the country tested the highest ever 14,088 samples in the last 24 hours.

278 new COVID-19 cases reported in Nepal, tally at 2,912

New Delhi (NVI): Nepal reported 278 new cases of coronavirus today, taking the national tally to 2,912, according to local media reports.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Population said, “Of the infected, 2,717 are males and 195 are females.”

Among the new cases, 90 were tested in Dailekh, 44 in Kapilvastu, 21 in Sunsari, 17 each in Mahottari and Ramechhap, 12 in Jhapa, seven in Jumla, six each in Morang and Rautahat, five each in Kavre, Bhojpur and Dadeldhura.

Similarly, four each in Kailali and Dhanusha, three in Bara, two each in Kathmandu, Sindhuli, Tanahu and Nawalparasi (East), and one each in Arghakhanchi, Dang, Palpa, Surkhet, Achham and Bajhang and tested positive for the virus at different laboratories across the country, as per media reports.

Apart from this, 43 COVID-19 patients from various parts of the country returned home after recovery today alone.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s COVID-19 death toll climbed to 11 today. A 20-year-old youth from Panchapuri Municipality-1, Hansegaun, in Surkhet district has succumbed to COVID-19 infection.

The young man had returned home earlier on Wednesday after staying at a quarantine facility for 14 days.

So far, 333 patients have been cured from the virus and discharged.

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