Eight more patients tested positive for COVID19 in J&K on Thursday, taking the total positive cases to 70. While one new positive case is currently critical, another one has recovered as he tested negative for the respiratory virus. A patient who tested COVID19 positive on Thursday was shifted from Government Medical College Baramulla, where he was admitted yesterday, to SKIMS Medical College Hospital, a COVID19 facility now. The patient, Dr Shifa Deva, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said, was received in evening and was being evaluated. Dr Abdul Hamid Kathu, principal GMC Baramulla, said the patient’s condition was not stable and he was referred to a higher level for management. On Thursday, three patients tested positive at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). Medical superintendent SKIMS, Dr Farooq Jan said that two of the patients were admitted with the Institute. Both the patients, he said, had history of contact with COVID19 positive patients. “One male in 50s is from Budgam while another male in 20s is from Bandipora,” he said. The third sample that had tested positive was of the elderly person currently admitted at SKIMS Bemina. Dr Jan said the condition of a COVID19 patient, who had tested positive for COVID19 yesterday and was admitted at SKIMS, had improved. The patient was admitted in a very sick condition and had tested positive for COVID19. He had not reported any travel history. Meanwhile five new cases were reported from Jammu division. Three of the patients are from Udhampur, while two others are from Jammu. One patient was today declared recovered by Chest Diseases Hospital as his test turned out negative. While announcing the “good news”, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, in-charge COVID19 at the hospital, tweeted “First patient admitted in CD turns negative…”. The patient, a Srinagar resident, had returned from Saudi Arabia on 16 March. He had voluntarily reported at CD Hospital for testing and tested positive on 24 March. His two grandchildren, a four year old and a seven year old also tested positive subsequently. They are currently admitted at JLNM Hospital. Dr S Saleem Khan, nodal officer for COVID19 at GMC Srinagar said both samples tested negative. “The patient is fit to be discharged now,” he said. With this case, the total number of recovered patients in J&K would reach four. Government has already declared three recoveries of COVID19 in J&K, the patients have been discharged. Bhupinder Kumar, J&K nodal officer for COVID19, said two of the recovered cases were from Jammu. One of these, he said, was the contact of the first patient of COVID19, while the other, the third patient to be detected with the virus in J&K, had history of travel to Saudi Arabia. The first COVID19 positive case of Kashmir, a Srinagar woman who had travelled from Saudi Arabia, has also been declared recovered.
