Covid surge in J&K: Half of Valley’s cases recorded in Srinagar

Srinagar: Coronavirus cases in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar are surging with around half of the Kashmir Valley’s total infections in the first week of April being reported from the district.

Government’s health department data revealed that the Union Territory had as many as 3,867 cases in the first week of April. Of this, Kashmir had 2,755 cases and around 48% of those, at 1,347, were reported in Srinagar alone.

“In densely populated areas like Srinagar, the virus tends to spread rapidly. It is a crowded place with people taking fewer precautions. People hold gatherings here – indoors as well as outdoors – because of which we are reporting more cases in Srinagar,” said president, Doctors Association Kashmir, and influenza expert, Dr Nisar ul Hassan. “This virus spreads through gatherings in closed spaces. And we have been seeing many indoor functions –government meetings as well as social functions,” he said.

From 461 daily cases in the UT on April 1, the count reached a six-month high of 812 cases on April 7.

Hassan said that tourists were also a cause of spread of the infection. Srinagar saw daily cases range between 140 and 240 during these seven days and 341 of its total infections in the first week of April were travellers.

“The tourist influx is mostly concentrated in Srinagar. That also could be a reason that we have escalation of cases,” he said.

Srinagar was declared an orange zone on March 30 but people were allowed to gather in public parks and gardens for festivals. The government decision to organise Tulip festival, which began on April 3, has also been severely criticised as it saw heavy footfall.

Meanwhile, till April 7, health authorities in Srinagar had administered around 81,500 vaccine doses to healthcare and front line workers, and citizens over 45 years of age as against 226,000 doses in Jammu.

“We need to ramp up the vaccinations and also start vaccinating our young population which is now getting affected. Out of the total J&K’s population of 12.5 million, we have vaccinated just 172,000 people with both the doses,” Hassan said.

Overall, Srinagar has recorded 28,115 cases and 477 deaths out of the total 127,774 cases and 2018 deaths in the UT.

The J&K administration closed schools from Monday due to surge in cases. While grades till class 9 will remain closed for two weeks; classes 10 to 12 will be shut till April 11.

The Valley’s largest tertiary care hospital in Srinagar, Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), on Wednesday decided to stop all non-emergency surgeries and admissions to cater to the increasing rush of Covid patients.

Deputy commissioner Srinagar Aijaz Asad on Wednesday reviewed Covid-19 containment measures and established special vaccination sites at Kashmir University, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and J&K Bank Headquarter at Tourist Reception Centre.

“Last year, this day we were fighting without (a) vaccine. By now, 80 Covid vaccination centres have been set up in the district. Please visit your nearest centre to take the jab and let’s fight from a position of strength,” Asad said in a tweet. HT’s attempts to get a specific response from him elicited no response. (Agency)