By: Nadeem Nadu

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir reported 1144 fresh covid-19 cases, the second highest single day spike in the infections this year so far, even as two more people succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, officials said on Friday.

They said 414 of these cases were confirmed from Jammu division and 730 from Kashmir Valley, taking the overall case tally to 144021.

Providing district wise details, the officials told GNS that Srinagar reported 407 cases, Baramulla 89, Budgam 97, Pulwama 45, Kupwara 11, Anantnag 30, Bandipora 12, Ganderbal 5, Kulgam 33, Shopian 1, Jammu 223, Udhampur 29, Rajouri 33, Doda 10, Kathua 32, Samba 23, Kishtwar 4, Poonch 6, Ramban 11 and Reasi 43.

A number of these cases were confirmed at diagnostic laboratories of CD hospital and GMC Anantnag.

The CD cases include male (60) from Dalgate, female (12) and male (45) from Baghat, female (40) from Hyderpora, male (50) from Buchwara Dalgate, male (45) from Rambagh, male (40) and female (35) from Eidgah, female (25) from Pandrethan, male (72) from Baghi Mehtab, male (31) from Nowgam, two females (70, 17) and male (13) from Qamarwari, male (28) from Rainawari, female (36) from HMT, male (75) from Nowshera, male (23) from Kalampora, female (80) from Tengen, female (49) from Kadalbal Pampore, female (65) from Chandpora, male (30) from Narastan, six females (45, 55, 65, 42, 13, 13) and male (43) from Noorpora, male (34) from BB Cantt Srg, two males (21, 20) from Batmaloo, male (46) from Nowgam, male (06) from Dalgate, male (68) from Hyderpora, male (20) from Parraypora, male (68) from Pulwama, male (70) from Hyderpora, female (69) from NA, male (42) from Peerbagh, male (32) from KP Bagh, male (30) from Baghi Mehtab, female (55) from Safakadal, male (64) from Bandipora, male (30) from Kerala, male (46) from Chanapora, female (26) from Shalteng, male (45) from Peerbagh, male (25) from Chattabal, female (16) from Shalimar, male (55) from Hyderpora, female (31) from Rawalpora, male (39) from Batmaloo, male (42) from Alochibagh, female (29) and male (22) from Chanapora, male (38) and female (40) from Alochibagh, two males (50, 34) and female (48) from Qamarwari, female (65) from Sakidafar, female (64) from Alochibagh, male (32) from Natipora, female (46) and male (50) from Sanatnagar, male (30) from Ganderbal, male (55) from Nowshera, two males (50, 11) from Nowgam, female (55) from Alochibagh, male (52) from Sanatnagar, male (43) from Mumbai, female (49) from Hyderpora, male (37) and female (35) from Mehraj Bazar, female (12) from Hyderpora, male (32) from Magarmal Bagh, male (65) from Sanatnagar, male (63) from NA, female (52) from Rajbagh, male (45) from Zakura, male (31) from Baspora, fivemales (70, NA, 44, 72, 60) from NA, female (27) from Batmaloo, male (13) from Barzulla, male (56) from Baghi Mehtab, female (60) from Chanapora, female (65) from Bandipora, female (55) from Srinagar, male (25) from Kulgam, female (45) from Charisharief.

The GMC Anantnag cases include male (32) from Mumbai Maharashtra, female (29) and male (30) from Kolkata, female (29) from Gurgoan, male (46) from Sonwar Srg, female (82) from Ganiepora Mattan, female (22) from Checkpath, male (25) from Naidpora, female (18) from Checkpath, female (33) from Dooru, male (35) from Akad, male (38) from Midoora, male (30) from Batapora, male (12) from Uranhall, female (28) from Khanabal, male (25) from Bijbehara, male (NA) from Kulgam, two males (64, 30) and female (58) from Furrah, female (50) and male (30) from Qazibagh, female (NA) from Atholi Padar Kishtwar, male (NA) from Kreeri Shangus, male (70) from Wanpoh, male (45) from Chagalpora, male (30) from Naibasti, male (34) from Bijbehara.

Regarding the fresh deaths, they said one each was reported from Jammu and Kashmir—a 77-year-old man from Bemina Srinagar—, taking the overall toll to 2048 in J&K.

There are 10620 active positive cases in J&K—4123 in Jammu and 6497 in Kashmir, they said.

According to daily media bulletin there are 1091 COVID dedicated beds, 962 Isolation beds with 808 vacant beds and 129 ICU beds where 98 beds are vacant in Jammu division while there are 1570 COVID dedicated beds, 1484 Isolation beds where 858 beds are vacant and 86 ICU beds where 90are vacant beds in Kashmir division. There are a total of 2661 COVID dedicated beds, 2446 Isolation beds with 1666 beds vacant and 215 ICU beds with 188vacant beds in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. (GNS)

By: Sheikh Danish

Srinagar:In wake of the rise in the COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities at Srinagar Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital has decided to stop the Out-Patient Department (OPD) and said that only surgeries of emergency nature, malignancies and other referral cases shall be entertained.

According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Principal Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar chaired a meeting yesterday  regarding the preparedness of SMHS hospital Srinagar to deal with the COVID-19.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Masood Tanvir Professor and HOD medicine, Dr. Rouf Ahmad Professor and head ENT, Dr. Tariq Qureshi Professor and Head Ophthalmology, Dr. Ruksana Najeeb Professor and Head anesthesiology, Dr. Iffat Hassan Shah Professor and Head Dermatology, Dr. Sajjad Ahmad Dar professor and Head Radiology, Dr. Mufti Mehmood Professor and Head Surgery, Dr. Sonaullah Kuchay Professor and head Radiation Oncology, Dr. Naveed Nazir Shah Professor and Head Chest Disease and Dr. Nazir H Chowdhary Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital.

In the meeting, it was decided that Ward number 02, 03, 3A, 04, 18, 19, 20, isolation/drug De-Addiction Centre, paid rooms, MICU, SICU, w-17 and disaster management ward shall be designated as COVID-19 wards.

“Ward number 01 shall function exclusively for ENT department, besides, ENT department shall carry out surgeries on their designated Operation Theatre. Ward number 08 comprising 36 beds shall be operated by Medicine (30 beds) as non-COVID ward and Dermatology (06 beds) jointly as rush increases,” the order issued in this regard reads.

In the meeting, it has been further decided to stop the operation of OPDs, adding that only surgeries of emergency nature, malignancies and other referral cases shall be entertained. Furthermore, the patient load vis-à-vis duty roaster of doctors and paramecia staff should be regulated and rationalized, the meeting said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nazir Chowdhary told KNO that 203 beds have been designated for COVID beds at the hospital. He said that the rush of patients has been increasing with each passing day, saying that nearly 30 patients are being admitted at the hospital on a regular basis.

He added that adequate supply of oxygen and other related things are available at the hospital at present.

‘Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness, eyeball pain, vomiting among new signs’

Srinagar: As the second wave of Covid-19 is witnessing a steep surge in Jammu and Kashmir, experts believe that people need to remain more vigilant giving the change in the pattern of symptoms to detect the virus.

Former Director SKIMS and renowned Gastrologist Dr Mohammad Sultan Khuroo while talking exclusively with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) apart from the spike in the cases, the change in the pattern of symptoms is also, a new challenge to tackle.

“In the first wave, the common symptoms were cough, cold, fever and sore throat, red tongue and other mild symptoms related to respiratory infections but nowadays the common symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness, eyeball pain and even vomiting,” Khuroo said.

Khuroo said the gastrointestinal symptoms are becoming a common problem in several Covid-19 cases.

“In many such cases, your nozzle and RTPCR test can show you negative for Covid-19 but you can still have the virus,” he said.

On how to detect the virus with new symptoms, Khuroo said that if a patient has lung disease and his CT scan shows typical appearance which are not seen in other diseases, “it means a patient has contracted covid-19 infection.”

“As younger people are nowadays being tested positive for Covid-19, most often the virus is unable to penetrate the lungs, so it affects other parts of the body which then shows symptoms like tiredness, lethargy, body ache and fatigue,” he said.

Senior doctors at SMHS and CD hospital said that in around 20 per cent cases, there is cold and fever which makes it difficult to diagnose the virus, while new symptoms like diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain are common nowadays.

Dr Khursheed Ahmad a pulmonologist a CD hospital told KNO that the frequency of cases have increased and gastrointestinal symptoms are common nowadays.

He said that symptoms like fever, cough, cold and respiratory infections are most common but cases of gastrointestinal symptoms, vomiting, eye-ball pain and other symptoms are also coming to the fore.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Haj Committee on Friday said that the intending pilgrims, who have applied for Haj 2021, should take the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine immediately so that they can be administered the second dose before undertaking the holy pilgrimage in June.

The development comes a day after the Haj Committee of India (HCI) said that no Indian Muslims shall be allowed to go for the annual Haj pilgrimage unless they have taken the two vaccine doses. The announcement was made following the latest directives from the Saudi Arabian Health Ministry and the Indian Consulate-General in Jeddah.

“In pursuance to circular issued by The Haj Committee of India, the intending pilgrims who have applied for Haj 2021 are advised to take first dose of vaccine on their own, so that at the time of departure during Mid-June the second dose of vaccine is taken accordingly,” an order issued by J&K Haj Committee read.

It said as per Health Ministry of Saudi Arabia, pilgrims visiting the Kingdom need to get two doses of vaccine before their departure to Saudi Arabia.

However, the order said that it is clarified that no official communication regarding Haj 2021 has been received yet from the Haj committee of India or Saudi government.

In 2020, the Haj pilgrimage was out of bounds for the Muslim as it came during the surging peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in late July, and this year, the world is witnessing a second and much deadlier Covid wave.

New Delhi: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19.

In a tweet, Javadekar, who also holds the portfolios of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises said: “I have tested Covid positive today. All those who have come in contact with me in the last 2-3 days may please get themselves tested.”

Earlier in the day, Congress national media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala also tested positive for Covid-19.

In a tweet, he said: “I have tested positive for Covid-19 today morning. Anyone who has come in contact with me in the last 5 days, please self isolate and take necessary precautions.”

India has recorded more than two lakh cases for second consecutive day on Friday.

Expressing concern over the surge in the Covid-19 cases, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a tweet in Hindi said: “Dear countrymen, this is a time of great crisis for all of us. All our close relatives, family members, people around us are getting hit by the Covid epidemic. I request to all to wear face mask and follow all instructions related to Covid safety. We have to win this war together with caution and compassion.”

Priyanka Gandhi herself is in home isolation after her husband Robert Vadra tested positive.

Besides Javadekar, several Ministers and Chief Ministers too have tested positive for Covid.

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa tested positive on Friday – the second time in eight months.

On April 14, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has tested positive, and his predecessor and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tested positive on the same day.

Delhi Transport and Law Minister Kailash Gahlot tested positive for Covid-19 on April 14.

On April 11, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan said he has tested positive for coronavirus after showing some symptoms while campaigning for West Bengal Assembly elections.

On April 7, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and appealed all the people who came in contact with him to get themselves tested.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too has tested positive for Covid-19 on April 8. Even former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy also tested positive for Covid-19 on April 8.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on April 7 said he has tested positive for Covid-19. Senior DMK leader and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi has also tested positive for Covid-19 on April 3.

New Delhi: There is consistent, strong evidence to prove that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, is predominantly transmitted through the air, according to a new assessment published in the medical journal The Lancet.

A multi-research team from the UK, US and Canada warned that public health measures that fail to treat the virus as predominantly airborne leave people unprotected and allow the virus to spread.

Silent (asymptomatic or presymptomatic) transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from people who are not coughing or sneezing accounts for at least 40 per cent of all transmission.

This silent transmission is a key way Covid-19 has spread around the world, “supporting a predominantly airborne mode of transmission,” as per the assessment.

By contrast, the researchers found little to no evidence that the virus spreads easily via large droplets, which fall quickly through the air and contaminate surfaces.

“The evidence supporting airborne transmission is overwhelming, and evidence supporting large droplet transmission is almost non-existent,” said Jose-Luis Jimenez, chemist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and University of Colorado Boulder.

“It is urgent that the World Health Organisation and other public health agencies adapt their description of transmission to the scientific evidence so that the focus of mitigation is put on reducing airborne transmission,” Jimenez said.

Further, the researchers emphasise that while it is necessary to wash hand and clean surfaces, they should be given less emphasis than airborne measures.

If an infectious virus is primarily airborne, someone can potentially be infected when they inhale aerosols produced when an infected person exhales, speaks, shouts, sings, or sneezes.

The airborne control measures include ventilation, air filtration, reducing crowding and the amount of time people spend indoors, wearing masks whenever indoors (even if not within 6 feet or 2 metres of others), attention to mask quality and fit, and higher-grade PPE for healthcare and other staff when working in contact with potentially infectious people.

The team reviewed published research and identified 10 lines of evidence to support the predominance of the airborne route.

At the top of their list: Super-spreader events such as the Skagit Choir outbreak, in which 53 people became infected from a single infected case. Studies have confirmed these events cannot be adequately explained by close contact or touching shared surfaces or objects.

Moreover, transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2 are much higher indoors than outdoors, and transmission is greatly reduced by indoor ventilation.

The researchers also cited work demonstrating long-range transmission of the virus between people in adjacent rooms in hotels; people who were never in each other’s presence.

Srinagar: As the CVODI-19 cases continue to rise unabated in the valley, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday said more Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are needed to save severely-ill patients.

“We need to increase the number of ICU beds in hospitals to prevent corona deaths,” DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan said.

He said hospitals in Kashmir are witnessing increase in admissions of severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients over the past two weeks. “And many of them need intensive care and/or ventilator support,” he said.

The DAK president said at SMHS hospital, ‘we receive 20-30 severe cases every day, and many of them are critical’. “They come in with ravaged lungs and oxygen levels as low as 50-60. They need ICU beds,” he added.

However, Dr Hassan said they don’t get it because all ICU beds are occupied. “The situation is same in other hospitals where patients are struggling to get ICU beds. With resurgence of COVID-19, hospitals have run out of ICU beds,” he said.

He said lack of ICU beds is turning into nightmare, with critically ill patients kept in general wards on regular beds. “Early transfer of severe cases to intensive care is key to help improve outcome of Corona patients. How fast intensive care is given to them determines whether they survive or not,” he said.

“The constant surge in cases has meant that demand for ICU beds for Covid patients has increased. Every day we have over a thousand new cases of Covid-19 infections. About 3% of them get critically sick and require intensive care. The next few weeks could be challenging as cases are expected to rise further because enough people are still susceptible to the virus,” DR Hassan said.

He said the situation can be kept under control if vaccine is opened up for more people and Covid-19 protocols are strictly adhered to.

New Delhi/Washington: From the owner of the biggest producer of one of the Coronavirus vaccines in India to several senators in the US, a wide range of people have appealed to US President Joe Biden to temporarily suspend the intellectual property rules for the vaccine production.

As the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic intensifies, India has appealed to the WTO to waive off the rules so that it can scale up the Covid-19 vaccine production. The virus which originated in Wuhan in 2019 has killed around 3 million people so far. In India alone, 170,000 people have died due to the contagious disease.

CEO and owner of Serum Institute Pune-the biggest manufacturer of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Adar Poonawalla, in a tweet which went viral, requested the Biden administration to lift the embargo on raw material exports out of the US. “If we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details,” he tweeted.

At least ten senators in a letter to President Biden said the US should prioritise people over pharmaceutical company profits and support the temporary waiver of the rules. A waiver could pave the way for generic or other manufactures to make more vaccines, media reports quoted the letter led by Senator Bernie Sanders.

A group of 170 world leaders and Nobel laureates earlier sent a similar letter to Biden urging him to support a temporary waiver of the WTO’s intellectual property rules.

India’s China expert Brahma Chellaney lashed out at the US for hoarding raw material. “As if Biden’s vaccine hoarding policy during a global crisis wasn’t bad enough, he also has restricted export of key raw materials, affecting vaccine production in India. Yet the mainstream US media has ignored the global impacts of the dual U.S. hoarding.

Possibly influenced by Poonawalla’s tweet, the government on Friday announced that it will help scale production for locally manufactured Covaxin vaccine, from 10 million/month in April to 100 million/month by September 2021.

“The current production capacity of indigenously developed Covaxin vaccine will be doubled by May-June 2021 and then increased nearly 6-7 fold by July – August 2021 i.e increasing the production from 1 crore vaccine doses in April, 2021 to 6-7 crore vaccine dose/month in July – August. It is expected to reach nearly 10 crore doses per month by Sep 2021,” the government said in an official statement.

Capacities of Bharat Biotech Limited, Hyderabad as well as other public sector manufactures are being upgraded with required infrastructure and technology, the government said. At least three public sectors companies are also being supported to increase the capacity of vaccine production.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a comprehensive review meeting to ensure adequate medical grade oxygen supply in the country, amid the reports of shortage of oxygen cylinders in many hospitals.

During the meeting, inputs from Ministries like Health, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Steel, Road Transport on the status and availability of the Oxygen were also shared with the Prime Minister, and he asked all stakeholders to ensure synergy across Ministries and State governments for the adequate supply of oxygen.

PM Modi also took a detailed review of current situation of oxygen supply and projected use in the coming 15 days across 12 high burden states Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

An overview of district-level situation in these states was presented to the PM, the officials, privy to this development, said.

He was also informed about an estimate for projected demands of the states as on April 20, April 25 and April 30 and accordingly, 4,880 MT, 5,619 MT and 6,593 MT for the respective dates have been allocated to these 12 states for meeting their projected demand.

While discussing about the production capacity of Oxygen in the country to meet the rising demand, the Prime Minister suggested to increase production as per capacity of each plant and decided that the surplus stocks of oxygen supply in steel plants would be diverted for the medical use.

PM Modi, while reviewing the situation, urged officials to ensure seamless and free movement of tankers carrying oxygen throughout the country and for this purpose, the Government has exempted all inter-state movement of oxygen tankers from registration of permits to enable easier movement.

The officials also informed the PM that the States and transporters have been asked to ensure tankers move round the clock with drivers working in shifts to ensure faster turnaround and adequate capacity to meet the surge in demand.

Cylinder filling plants will also be permitted 24 hour working with necessary safeguards whereas the Government has allowed Industrial cylinders to be used for medical oxygen after due purging. Similarly, nitrogen and argon tankers will be automatically allowed to be converted to oxygen tankers to overcome the potential shortage of tankers, the officials updated the Prime Minister.

He was also briefed about the efforts being made to import medical grade oxygen.