JAMMU: Twenty-four new COVID-19 cases were detected in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, taking the total number of infected persons to 184, government spokesman Rohit Kansal said.
Out of 184 cases, 152 are in Kashmir and 32 in Jammu, he said.
The number of positive cases has been steadily increasing in the valley over the past one week. While four patients have died in Jammu and Kashmir, six have recovered, officials said.
“Twenty-four new cases were detected today in Jammu and Kashmir,” Kansal said, adding that all the fresh cases were contacts of the already positive patients.
“The increase in detection of positive cases in the Union Territory is a result of aggressive testing,” he said.
A 61-year-old woman from Udhampur district succumbed to coronavirus at the Government Medical College hospital here on Wednesday, taking the death toll due to the infection to four in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
This is the first death in the Jammu region of the union territory as all previous three deaths took place in Kashmir.
Government spokesperson Rohit Kansal tweeted that she was reported to be bedridden and suffering from arthritis.
Her contacts are being traced, he added.
According to the daily Media Bulletin on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), till date 43798 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which include 8157 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 478 in Hospital Quarantine, 174 in hospital isolation and 25975 under home surveillance. Besides, 9010 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
The Bulletin said that till date test report of 2649 samples has been received out of which 2465 are negative, and 184 positive.
The bulletin urged the general public to stay indoors, strictly implement social distancing measures, disclose recent travel history to COVID-19 affected countries and report any contact with positive cases voluntarily.
Surveillance stepped up in Kashmir to track COVID-19 cases
Srinagar: Authorities in Kashmir have intensified ground surveillance to track travellers, who hid their recent travel history, to contain the spread of coronavirus, even as restrictions on the movement of people across the valley remained in force for the 22nd consecutive day on Thursday, officials said
The tracking of those persons who have travel history but are absconding is being taken up on a war-footing basis, the officials said.
These measures have been taken after a group of five persons, who had travelled to an African country recently, tested positive for COVID-19. These persons were placed in administrative quarantine upon their arrival in Kashmir last month.
They said ground surveillance teams in every district are being strengthened to trace such persons immediately so as to put them for proper screening and quarantine.
Meanwhile, the restrictions on the movement and assembly of people in Kashmir continued.
