Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, Apr 23: Jammu and Kashmir continued to witness surge in COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with 27 more testing positive for the virus taking the total number of cases to 434 in the Union Territory. Of 27 persons, 26 tested positive in Kashmir, while one tested positive in Jammu region.
J&K administration spokesman Rohit Kansal this afternoon in his first tweet said: “20 new cases reported today. One from Jammu and 19 from Kashmir. Total now 427. Jammu 57 and Kashmir 370.”
In another tweet in the evening he wrote: “ 7 more cases reported from Kashmir. Total positive cases now 434. Jammu-57 and Kashmir-377.”
An official said that the new cases are from Ramban, Shopian, Kupwara, Budgam, Baramulla and Bandipora.
He said over 100 COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from hospital so far. ”The districts of Pulwama and Kishtwar have become COVID-19 free with three and one infected patients being cured successfully,” he added.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus (Covid-19), 330 are Active Positive, 92 have recovered and 5 have died.
Furthermore, till date 64876 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which include 6039 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 279 in Hospital Quarantine, 330 in hospital isolation and 13283 under home surveillance. Besides, 44940 persons have completed their surveillance period.
The Bulletin further said that out of 10977 test results available, 10550 samples have tested as negative till April 23, 2020.
Providing district-wise breakup, the Bulletin said that Bandipora has 99 positive cases wherein 80 are Active Positive, 18 recovered and 01 has died, Srinagar 79 positive cases with 51 Active Positive, 27 recovered and  01 died, Baramulla 50 positive cases with 44 Active Positive, 04 recovered, and 02 died; Kupwara has 41 positive cases with 35 Active Positive and 06 recovered; Shopian has 55 positive cases with 49 Active Positive, 06 recovered; Ganderbal has 14 positive cases with 12 Active positive and 02 have recovered; Budgam 14 positive cases of which 05 are Active Positive with 09 recovered cases; Kulgam has 06 cases and all are Active Positive; Pulwama 03 positive cases who all have recovered; Anantnag district has 09 positive case and all are Active Positive.

Similarly, Jammu has 26 positive cases of whom 21 are Active Positive and 05 have recovered, Udhampur 20 positive cases of which 11 are Active Positive, 08 recovered and 01 died, while as Samba district has 04 positive cases and all are Active Positive; Rajouri has 04 positive cases, 01 active positive and 03 cases have recovered;  Kathua has 01 positive case which is active positive; Ramban has 01 positive case who is Active Positive. Meanwhile, Kishtwar has only 01 positive case who has recovered.

The Bulletin said that the breakup represents districts from which the patients have been traced or are ordinarily residing.

Meanwhile, according to the advisory issued in the media bulletin, COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease which can affect anyone and best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

The advisory said that for protection against this disease, people are requested to stay indoors and strictly implement social distancing measures.

People are advised to take basic precautions for personal hygiene; frequent handwashing with soap and water; observing coughing and sneezing etiquettes and wearing mask or face cover while moving out of their homes.

The advisory called upon people to express their gratitude towards the healthcare service personnel and not harass them.

As many as 73 patients, including 71 from Kashmir and two from Jammu, were tested positive for the infection in the first four days of this week in J&K.

Bandipora is the worst COVID-19 hit district in the Union Territory of J&K with about 100 positive cases and one death. Of these, over 36 per cent of positive cases have been reported from Dangerpora in Bandipora, prompting authorities to put about 150 people in hospital and administrative quarantine. The rest of the people from Dangerpora have been put in home quarantine.

Officials said that 80 Red Zones were identified in Kashmir Division and that such areas will remain red zones up to 42 days, unless no new positive case of COVID-19 is detected. ”If any new case is detected in these areas, then from that date, the area will again remain a red zone for another 42 days,” they added.

Fifty three, including 52 from Kashmir and one from Jammu, tested positive for Coronavirus in the first three days of this week. As many as 118 people, including 111 from Kashmir and seven from Jammu, were tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Meanwhile, 138 people, mostly from Kashmir, were tested positive for COVID-19 in J&K between April 6 and April 12. Thirty-three new positive cases, including 28 from Kashmir and three from Jammu, were reported on April 4 and April 5, making it one of the highest jumps in the COVID-19 infected persons in J&K.

J&K recorded first death due to COVID-19 on March 25, when a 65-year-old man from Hyderpora died due to the infection at Chest Disease Hospital. Then, on March 29, a 50-year-old man, a resident of Tangmarg, passed away at CD hospital.

Earlier this month, a 54-year-old Bandipora resident, who was tested positive for the infection, died at SMHS hospital. Later on April 8, a 61-year-old woman from Udhampur died at Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu. A 70-year-old patient died on April 17 due to Coronavirus in Kashmir valley.

‘Most countries in early stages of tackling pandemic’
Geneva, Switzerland: COVID-19 will stalk the planet for a long time to come, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, warning that most countries were still in the early stages of tackling the pandemic.

WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some countries that thought they had the new coronavirus under control were witnessing a resurgence in cases, while there were troubling upward trends in Africa and the Americas.

He also insisted that the UN health agency had declared a global emergency in good time on January 30 for countries to prepare and plan their response.

The body has been heavily criticised by the United States for its handling of the pandemic but Tedros brushed off calls for him to resign.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the easing of movement restrictions does not mark the “the end of epidemic” for any country.

“Most of the epidemics in western Europe appear to be stable or declining,” Tedros told a virtual press conference in Geneva.

“Although numbers are low, we see worrying upward trends in Africa, Central and South America, and eastern Europe.”

“Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics. And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases.

“Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time.”

The global death count has passed 175,000, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP, while more than 2.5 million declared cases have been registered since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

Tedros was pressed on whether the WHO had acted swiftly enough.

“Looking back, I think we declared the emergency at the right time” on January 30, he said, adding that the world “had enough time to respond”.

Beijing (China), Apr 23: China announced Thursday it will donate another $30 million to the World Health Organization to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, days after Washington said it would freeze funding.

“China has decided to donate another $30 million in cash to the WHO, in addition to the previous donation of $20 million, to support the global fight against COVID-19 and strengthen developing countries’ health systems,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing.

He added that China’s contribution to the UN agency “reflects the support and trust of the Chinese government and people for the WHO”.

The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday they regretted a decision by the United States to halt funding to the United Nations health body, adding a review was underway to assess the impact of the financing withdrawal.

The US, which is the WHO’s biggest contributor, accused the WHO last week of “mismanaging” the COVID-19 crisis, drawing ire from Beijing as both countries spar over the deadly virus.

In announcing the funding freeze last week, US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of covering up the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak in China before it spread.

Trump said US taxpayers provided between $400 million and $500 million per year to the WHO, while “in contrast, China contributes roughly $40 million a year and even less”.

Abid Bashir

Srinagar, Apr 23: Strict restrictions to curtail the spread of Coronavirus pandemic from last over a month has forced cancellation and postponement of thousands of marriages in Kashmir valley, badly affecting people associated with the sector, which is already facing the brunt of the cascading impact of the last year’s unrest.

The number of Coronavirus cases has crossed 350-mark while four people have lost their lives to the infection so far in the valley.

Strict restrictions on movement and assembly of people to curtail the spread of Coronavirus continued since March 18 in Kashmir valley, where thousands of marriage functions were cancelled or postponed due to situation in the first month of marriage season. However, some people are conducting marriages in a simple manner and without even inviting family members and friends.

A groom, wearing protective gear, in Rambagh in uptown reportedly went to the house of the bride on a Scooty few days back. After the nikah, the couple came back to the residence of the groom on the Scooty.

In another incident, a groom in Zainakot went alone and brought home the bride after performing the nikah. Similar reports were received from other parts of the valley.

The marriages in the valley were no more a low key affair as the industry had grown exponentially during the last about a decade, making it one of the most revenue generating unorganised sectors with lakhs of people associated with it directly or indirectly. An average cost of a marriage ranges between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh while a high end marriage can cost upto over Rs 50 to Rs 1 crore in Kashmir. But as the situation remains uncertain in the valley in view of COVID-19 pandemic J&K, people are forced to cancel or postpone marriages, badly affecting the industry in the first month of the marriage season.

The industry has already suffered immensely last year, when the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on August 5 scrapped Article 370 and Article 35 A. Normal life in the Valley was crippled for several months due to restrictions imposed by authorities and strike in 2019, forcing cancellation of marriages during the peak marriage season.
Top players of this industry claim that revenue to the tune of crores of rupees has been lost since August 2019 due to the cancellations of the functions, badly affecting lakhs of people associated with the sector, including caterers, cooks (wazas), butchers, decorators, bakers, disposable item dealers etc.

“The peak season of marriages is between July and September. But, the unrest in the valley badly affected the marriage industry as people were forced to cancel functions and other ceremonies. Due to these cancellations, lakhs of people lost their source of income while others, who had procured items required for these functions, were facing acute financial crunch,” Shafiq Ahmad, owner of a catering company told UNI.

Ahmad said people were now hopeful that they will generate revenue this year and try to make up for the losses incurred last year. But, he said in the first month of the marriage season, all the marriages were cancelled or postponed. “…and uncertainty looms large in the coming months as well,” he added.

Due to these cancellations, lakhs of people have lost their source of income while others, who have procured items required for these functions, are facing acute financial crunch as it is highly unlikely that they will be able to sell their products,” Shabir Ahmad, owner of a catering company said. He said the most affected are sheep and chicken traders, who have procured the livestock from outside the state, in the hope of catering to the needs of the marriage functions.

Farooz Khan, a Kashmiri waza (cook) by profession, said that all the bookings, which he had received for preparing wazwan (Kashmiri cuisine) during marriage functions, have been cancelled.

Khan said people associated with the industry are already suffering as marriages in peak months of July, August, September and October last year were cancelled due to unrest.

“Last year, we were jam-packed till October first week, but all the bookings were cancelled due to the unrest. We only cook for marriage parties and as the functions were cancelled we were left with no work,” Khan said.

Last year, he said his team was able to make only 15 to 20 per cent of the money they usually make. Khan said ‘he was hopeful that the condition of the industry will improve this year, but it seems that the coming months are also tough for us’.

He said that like other Kashmiri wazas, he and his team (30 people), work only during these months and then have to spend the money earned for a whole year. “As we have earned less money as usual since August last year, it will be difficult to cater to the needs of our families,” he added.

“We charge about Rs 20,000 per quintal of meat which comes to around Rs 80,000 if on an average four quintals of meat were utilised during marriage functions. So we earn a decent amount of money. But things are different this time,” he said.

Similar views were expressed by others  associated with the industry.

6COVID-19: Central Govt employees, pensioners not to get DA hike

United News of India
New Delhi, Apr 23: The additional installment of Dearness Allowance to Central government employees and Dearness Relief to Central government pensioners due from January 1, 2020, will not be paid because of the financial strains due to the Novel Coronavirus crisis, the government said on Thursday.

Additional installments of DA and DR from July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 will also not be paid, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

However, the DA and DR at current rates will continue to be paid, it added.

The DA and DR were hiked by four per cent last month and now, they have been put on hold.

‘As and when the decision to release the future installment of DA and DR due from July 1, 2021 is taken by the government, the rates of DA and DR as effective from January 1, 2020; July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021, will be restored prospectively and cumulative revised rate will be effective from July 1, 2021,’ the government further said.

No arrears for period from January 1, 2020 till June 30, 2021 will be paid, it added.

 “Wash, dry them for few days before you eat”

Ishtiyaq Ahmad

Srinagar, Apr 23: Doctors have advised people to take all precautious before consuming dates at Iftaar time in the holy month of Ramadan.

“Dates are particularly beneficial during Ramadan because they are high in sugar and vitamins such as potassium and magnesium as well as an excellent source of fiber and carbohydrates. But yes, we advise people to take all precautions while consuming the dates,” Kashmir’s leading pulmonologist and head of Chest Diseases Hospital, Srinagar, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah told news agency KINS.

However Dr Naveed advised people to properly wash and then dry the dates before eating them. “You can buy the open dates from local markets, but before consuming them, all you need is to ensure that you wash and leave them for at least three days before eating,” he said.

Dates are also known to help with digestion and can prevent an upset stomach when eating large amounts of food after a long period without eating.

Meanwhile one of the senior doctors, expert in infectious disease here in SKIMS said that there is no published evidence, and we are not aware of unpublished evidence that people have developed COVID-19 illness from touching food or food packaging. “However, the virus causing COVID-19 can survive on surfaces and objects for a limited period of time. So, it is better to throw the packing of dates as soon as you bring them home, as the wrapper may have the virus on it,” the doctor said.  He also suggested that dates should be washed and left to dry properly.

The doctor said that the available evidence suggests that the virus can remain on hard surfaces for 3 days and 1 day on soft surfaces.

While the proverb “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is known all over the world,  the saying for Muslims go like “seven dates a day keeps the doctor away. There are different types of dates, the best and most precious one is the round-shaped, curled, black “Ajwa” which are grown in Holy City of Madina.

From April 24 to May 24, Muslims will be observing Ramadan. This is the first Ramadan where people won’t be able to gather.

‘Emergency services, OPDs shouldn’t suffer’

Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, Apr 23: Lieutenant Governor, GC Murmu today reviewed preparedness and arrangements for dealing with coronavirus outbreak—directing divisional administration to reach out to masses, identify vulnerable age groups, besides augmenting robust healthcare facility on priority.

Speaking during a high level meeting at Raj Bhavan, Srinagar, the Lieutenant Governor said COVID-19 was a novel virus and it demanded novel interventions from the administration. He urged administration to work in close coordination and bring the mortality rate to its minimum.

“Fighting COVID-19 is a long-drawn-out battle. We all must gear up and fight it scientifically,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any lapse from the administration whatsoever, besides the concerned Deputy Commissioners should do profiling of the vulnerable areas and try to reach out to the affected people on priority,” he said.

Lauding Srinagar Administration for putting robust mechanism in place for fighting COVID-19 outbreak and augmenting best possible infrastructure amid healthcare crisis, Murmu directed all the districts to ensure safety and security for the people—urging the concerned District Magistrates to lend all necessary and possible support to the needy people in their areas.

Murmu said that at a time when the administration was working round the clock for ensuring the welfare of the people, he urged people to cooperate with the administration and follow the health and administrative advisories in letter in sprit to minimize the spread of the virus and urged people to take special care of vulnerable age groups like elderly, children and people with existing illnesses. Murmu reiterated that there would be no shortage of essential commodities or any service and asked people to maintain social distance as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the virus.

“We are here for people to give our best. People shouldn’t suffer any cost. They (people) shouldn’t panic and people must stay indoors till the time lockdown is in place,” he said.

Reviewing the arrangements for Kashmir division, the LG lauded the efforts of frontline health workers, security forces and the staff of essential services and appealed to the general public to complement the efforts of the government and cooperate in breaking the chain.

 ‘Profile Vulnerable Groups’

Murmu urged the divisional administration to begin aggressive profiling of vulnerable age groups in the communities—saying that people above the age group of 60 should be profiled and their medical history should be tallied by a team of experts—which will minimize surge of COVID-19 positive cases across Jammu and Kashmir. He also assured the locals that all necessary measures are in place to prevent the spread of the infection; however they should cooperate and come forward for getting screened.

“Testing capacity should be accelerated and people above age group of 60 should be screened and if any healthcare issue is seen they should be immediately provided healthcare facilities,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any lapse from the health department on this,” he added.

‘Positive Cases, Contacts & Sampling’

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, in his detailed presentation gave overall view of the COVID-19 preparedness, saying that divisional administration was building robust capacities for contact tracing & sampling. He said that 8211 samples have been collected so far, besides 7410 contacts traced and 351 positive cases so far. He said that Pulwama is least affected district while as Bandipora is highest number of cases.

The meeting was informed that separate teams trained at 58 medical blocks for contact tracing and sampling have been constituted. 423 Lab technicians (LTs) and 80 paramedics have been trained for sampling purposes.

“Each district is having capacity for mobile sampling and besides that sampling kiosks have been established in all the district headquarters,” he said. “So far 3938 RNA extraction kits have been procured.”

Providing the district-wise breakup, the meeting was informed that Bandipora has 97 positive cases wherein 78 are Active Positive, 18 recovered and 01 has died, Srinagar 79 positive cases with 51 Active Positive, 27 recovered and  01 died, Baramulla 47 positive cases with 41 Active Positive, 04 recovered, and 02 died; Shopian has 46 positive cases with 40 Active Positive, 06 recovered; Kupwara has 37 positive cases with 31 Active Positive and 06 recovered; Ganderbal has 14 positive cases with 12 Active Positive,02 recovered; Budgam 13 positive cases of which 04 are Active Positive with 09 recovered cases; Kulgam has 06 cases and all are Active Positive; Pulwama 03 positive cases and all recovered; Anantnag district has 09 positive case and all are Active Positive.

The meeting was informed that there are 84 containment zones, including 37 (Red Zones), 45 (Orange zones), 02 (Green zones) across Kashmir division. The officials informed the chair that there is a nearly 10000 bed capacity for the COVID-19 patients. It was also informed that till date 64089 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which include 5806 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 252 in Hospital Quarantine, 310 in hospital isolation and 15376 under home surveillance. Besides, 42340 persons have completed their surveillance period.

‘Disposal of Medical Waste’

The Lieutenant Governor said that clear guidelines and SOP should be adopted to deal with coronavirus-related biomedical waste.  He directed concerned Deputy Commissioners to adopt guidelines for handling, treatment and safe disposal of biomedical waste generated during treatment, diagnosis and quarantine of patients confirmed or suspected to have the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19). “There shouldn’t be any lapse in disposing off the biomedical waste. A proper scientific method should be adopted,” he said.

‘Protect Healthcare Workers’

The Lieutenant Governor directed the administration, especially heads of the tertiary care healthcare institutions and Director Health Services, Kashmir, to protect the healthcare workers. He said that healthcare workers are at risk from handling Covid-19 patients and people in quarantine centres.

“You all have to make sure that all your staff are protected and there is no compromise on their safety,” he said. “they should be provided with every possible support and help from the administration and they should be fully geared,” he added. He said that medical experts and specialists should send out warnings to the masses on mishandling of biomedical waste. He said that discarded masks, gloves and tissues could be potential sources for the spread of this highly contagious virus.

The meeting was attended by Advisors to Lieutenant Governor,   Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar and Baseer Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary, BVR Subhramanyam, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Director, SKIMS, Dr AG Ahnagar, Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Dr Saima Rashid, Director, Health Services, Kashmir, Sameer Mattoo, OSDs COVID Management,  Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Vikas Kundal, Owais Ahmad, Joint Director, DIPR, Kashmir, Haris Handoo among other senior officers.

Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, Apr 23: Lieutenant Governor, G C Murmu today called for expanding and up gradation of healthcare facilities across all Kashmir hospitals.

Chairing a high level meeting to review the preparedness of the administration and hospitals in Kashmir here at Raj Bhawan, Srinagar, LG stressed the need for up-gradation of facilities in hospitals and procurement of critical hospital equipment immediately so that all necessary facilities are available for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The Lieutenant Governor asked the authorities to initiate the process of procurement immediately. He emphasized that lock down period has given us extra time to scale up our response to COVID-19. “We should use this precious time to augment our capacities and purchase deficient equipment like ventilators, PPE,” he said. “Besides this, the bed capacity for COVID-19 patients’ needs to be enhanced in hospitals and the testing strategy should be targeted and expanded further,” he added.

The meeting was informed that tertiary care SKIMS, Soura has already placed orders for Automatic RNA Extractors which would ramp up the testing capacity at SKIMS from 1000 to 1500 tests per day. It was informed that said facility has also been ordered by SKIMS for Government Medical College, Srinagar.

On the occasion, the Chief Secretary said that the procurement of vital equipment would be decentralized so that the Heads of hospitals and District Administration can go for immediate purchase of material and equipment required by them. He stated that funds shall be sanctioned and placed at their disposal immediately to facilitate quick purchase of medical equipment.

Lieutenant Governor also called upon heads of medical institutions to manage COVID-19 patients with co-morbidities at an early stage and treat them in hospitals so that mortality remains low. He also emphasized that doctors and health workers be provided adequate protective equipment to protect this human resource in our fight against corona virus as J&K has limited capacity of expert COVID health care professionals. He said that hospital workers need to be given proper training in use and disposal of their protective gear. He also asked heads of Health Institutions to ensure proper disposal of hospital waste in and around hospitals.

Lieutenant Governor said that there has to be more awareness among common people regarding use of masks and its repeated use. He said that downloading of Aarogya Setu App would help people to connect to essential health services and help the citizens to identify their risk of contracting COVID-19.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Apr 23: Lieutenant Governor, G C Murmu today lauded the role of Jammu and Kashmir Police and other security agencies for being at the forefront in combating the spread of novel coronavirus.

While chairing a high level security review meeting here at Raj Bhawan Srinagar, Lieutenant Governor discussed overall security scenario measures. He lauded the role of Police and security forces in combating the spread of COVID-l9.

The meeting was attended by Advisors to LG  Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar and  Baseer Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary  BVR Subrahmanyam, Director General of Police  Dilbag Singh, Corps Commander 15 Corps  B S Raju, Special DG CRPF  Zulfiqar Hassan, Principal Secretary, Home  Shaleen Kabra, ADGP CID Dr. B. Srinivas, Joint Director IB,  Mahesh Dixit, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir  P K Pole, IGP Kashmir  Vijay Kumar, Additional Commissioner SB  Rakesh Bansal and other senior officials of various security forces.

While briefing about the prevailing security scenario of Kashmir Valley, DGP gave a detailed overview enunciating the security measures initiated for ensuring peace and stability in the valley. The DGP also briefed Lieutenant Governor about the measures being taken by J&K Police and other security forces in containing the spread of COVID-l9.

Lieutenant Governor reiterated the importance of maintaining a close watch on all inimical elements. He also appreciated the role of J&K Police and other security forces in conducting successful anti-militancy operations amid COVID-19 pandemic and also at the same time working tirelessly to contain its spread in the valley.

Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, Apr 23: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today launched the Management Information System (MIS) for Covid-19 testing laboratories and streamlining the supply of testing kits in the entire country.

In this regard a Dashboard Familiarization meeting was called by Additional Director General ICMR Prof. G S Toteja which was attended through video conference by OSD Health and Medical Education, Owais Ahmad, Managing Director, NHM, J&K, Bhupinder Kumar and Nodal Officer for COVID-19 testing labs, J&K, Dr. Jitendra Mehta.

HoD/Nodal officer PSM, GMC Srinagar Dr. Saleem Khan,  HoD/ Nodal officer Hospital Administration, SKIMS Soura Dr. Ghulam Hassan Yatoo, HoD Microbiology, SKIMS Soura Dr. Bashir Fomda,  HoD Microbiology, GMC Srinagar Dr. Anjum Farhana, HoD Microbiology GMC Jammu Dr. Shahshi Sudan, and Nodal Officer COVID-19 and State Surveillance Officer Jammu Dr. Deepak also participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, the ADG Prof. Toteja said that Management Information System has been designed and operationalized for recording Covid-19 testing and inventory-related information to make the system more viable and transparent.

He said that the MIS has been activated for use by all approved laboratories (Government and Private), regional and central depots, and ICMR headquarters to allow concerned parties to have visibility of the supply chain data collected.

While divulging the details, Prof. Toteja said that ICMR has now designed and launched a data visualization tool on the Tableau software and this interactive graphical dashboard offers a secure and easy means of viewing and evaluating the stock positions, stock requirements and MIS usage in a lab at state and national level.

He lauded the efforts of the concerned officials across the states and union territories on fighting with Covid-19 pandemic and said that the government is also taking productive steps to ensure that more and more tests are done each passing day.

The ICMR Additional Director General said that so far 300 labs both government-run and private have been pressed into service and more is being done on expanding the network of labs.

During the meeting, Dr. Jitendra Mehta from J&K complimented the ICMR for setting up the portal which he said is a good initiative and the single point of contact for both ICMR and states. This, he said, shall avoid many confusions of inventory management for the smooth functioning of Covid -19 testing labs.

Later, a presentation was also made by ICMR to familiarize the officials from various states and union territories regarding the facilitation, operationalization and use of the dynamic Dashboard. The running of portal will now have a unique State account creation- Every State may depute one nodal officer for viewing the dashboard and ensuring necessary action is taken.

The login ID and Password for the State will be created for the nodal officer. These may be shared with authorized persons in the State administration. ICMR may also send an auto-generated e-mail to the nodal officer at 11 am every day, summarizing the key inventory-related highlights and action items.

Ask people in Red Zones not to venture out
Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Apr 23: Public Health Expert at Red Zone Surveillance Divisional Control Room, Kashmir, Dr Rouf Hussain Rather Thursday advised people in COVID-19 red zones to not to venture out of their homes except under medical emergencies.

He said that red zones become vulnerable as far as further transmission of the coronavirus is concerned and it becomes imperative for people to remain indoors to break the transmission chain of the disease.

“People should realize that the government is taking measures for the safety of their family and society. People in red zones should continue to follow lockdown norms and contribute their bit to ward off the infection. This will give government enough time to effectively fight the deadly disease,” he said.

He said that an area is declared a red zone when more than one person of that area is found to be Covid-19 positive. He said that declaring an area a red zone is for the safety of people and they should adhere to all the Standard Operating Procedures and healthcare guidelines issued from time-to-time.

Maintaining that Red zones are closely monitored by the health officials to check the spread of Covid-19, he said that if lockdown measures are strictly followed by people in red zones, that area will be removed from the list of red zone category after 28 days after the last patient of that area tests negative for coronavirus.

He said that if people in red zones need to come out for any health emergency, they should wear a mask and maintain social distance of at least one meter from others. Once they return to their homes they should wash their hands with soap for at least a minute.

While spelling out the insights on how to fight the corona pandemic, Dr Rather said that people showing any symptoms should immediately report to the nearest health authorities.

“If any person in red zone shows symptoms of cough, sneezing, breathlessness or sore throat, he should immediately contact health workers of that area so that timely measures will be taken. Hiding symptoms will do no good. People of that area should keep proper care of their health, eating habits, drinking water and do daily exercise within their yards,” he said.

He also said that reports of the corona virus’s lethality vary by an order of magnitude and most people manage to recover from it.

“The coronavirus does not create much problem in most of the people except cough or cold. But if they will not report to the health authorities they will not come to know about the infection and will be carrying the virus without knowing it,” he said.

Five people have died so far in Jammu and Kashmir who had tested positive for coronavirus.

The expert warned that transmission of the virus to elderly and weak people will prove deadly to them, if timely measures are not taken.

He also advised people suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, thyroid, not to discontinue their medication at once to prevent any complications.

“Pregnant ladies in Red Zones should keep in touch with the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers and in case of emergency call 102 and 108. An ambulance will reach to their place and they will be shifted to a designated hospital,” he said.

He also appealed people to download Aarogya Setu mobile app launched by the central government to help people identify the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

“People can also use the app to alert the authorities if they come in contact with a person infected with the deadly virus. The app is designed in such a way that it keeps a user informed through a beep on his mobile in case he or she has crossed paths with some person who has tested positive for coronavirus,” he added.