By: Afaq Bhat
Srinagar: Kashmir hospitals witnessing rise in COVID-19 cases has sent alarm bells ringing.
According to the medicos, hospitals are again seeing a surge in severe cases of Covid-19 infection and admissions have increased over the past few days. “Not only the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, but young people are coming with severe diseases and some of them are dying,” said a medico.
He said that most of these admitted patients are either unvaccinated or have received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine. “Just a few days before only 2-3 patients were admitted in Covid wards but now around 10 to 15 patients are being admitted daily,” the medico added.
He said that most of the patients come with bilateral pneumonia requiring oxygen and some need intensive care and support. “It’s not only the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, but young people too are getting infected,” the medico added.
According to the experts the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing in Kashmir as the people are not following the SOPs and are acting casually. “People are not wearing masks, there is no social distancing and using sanitizers has been abandoned long back,” said an expert.
He said that people are attending marriage ceremonies and other functions without following the SOPs. “Huge gatherings can lead to the virus raising its ugly head again. Another factor that could aggravate the crisis is unvaccinated people. There is still a percentage of people that due to hesitancy haven’t got vaccinated. They pose a threat to the lives of others and can become a reason for another wave of COVID-19 breaking out,” the expert added.
Last week the Srinagar administration imposed a 10-day ‘corona curfew’ in five areas of Srinagar after the surge in COVID-19 cases.
An official said, “The administration is monitoring the situation closely and if the cases keep on rising, strict measures can be taken to prevent the virus from spreading.”
He said that if people in Srinagar don’t follow the COVID-19 sops, the district can become a reason for the outbreak of the third wave in Jammu and Kashmir.
“People should realize that the COVID-19 has not ended and the virus is very much here. If we don’t take precautions, it will lead to a pandemic making a comeback again. We need to wake up before it becomes late,” said an observer.
