Srinagar, April 11: A day after giving birth to a baby at Sri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) hospital in Jammu, a woman from Akhnoor has tested positive for novel coronavirus, sending alarm bells ringing in the entire winter capital of the erstwhile State.
This is the J&K’s first case of a COVID-19 positive patient giving birth and it has led to panic in the entire Jammu city.
Sources told Global News Service (GNS) that the sample of the baby has been taken and results are awaited. “Both the woman, a resident of Akhnoor Jammu, and baby are healthy but the woman’s tests returning positive for the coronavirus has created panic. The hospital has many patients and this is reason why everybody is alarmed,” a senior official said.
She was among seventeen fresh cases of novel coronavirus reported in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, taking the number of infected persons in the J&K to 224.
“17 new cases reported in J&K. 5 from Jammu Division and 12 from Kashmir. Total positive cases now 224,” government spokesman Rohit Kansal tweeted.
12 cases in Kashmir include six from Bandipora, 3 from Kupwara and one from Budgam districts, the sources said.
“2 more positives from Muqam Shawali and another from Bandipora currently residing in Trehgam, all contacts of earlier positive patients. All 3 are under quarantine at COVID Hospital Kupwara and are stable,” Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Anshul Garg said.
He requested all to cooperate with district administration in contact tracing and surveillance in “Red Zones”.
Today’s cases are lowest recently as 150 cases were added in the last ten days alone. From the time the first COVID-19 case was announced in J&K on March 09, it took about three weeks for the cases to reach 50-mark. It took the next five days for the cases to double—to cross 100—and next as many days to cross 200-mark.
From 52 reported cases by the end of last month, the J&K reached a cumulative tally of 106 cases on April 5. Till date, the officially confirmed tally stands at 224—44 in Jammu and 180 in Kashmir. Four people have died due to the deadly infection in the J&K while six others—three each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions have recovered and discharged.
