Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir reported one more case of Novel Coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total number of positive cases in the region to two. A male patient in Jammu who tested positive for the virus is now among two patients undergoing treatment at Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu.
The fresh case prompted the district administration to order the closure of all cinema halls and anganwadi centres in Jammu district. The Jammu University cancelled its academic activities and public events.
“One more case has been confirmed as positive for COVID-19 from GMC Jammu. The patient is in isolation and is stable,” said a GMC Jammu official.
He said the 75-year-old man had been tested positive for Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 as per the test report issued by the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) lab of GMC Jammu.
An earlier patient, a woman, was confirmed as infected with Novel Coronavirus on Monday. This patient had travelled to Iran and South Korea. Her test report was sent by NIV Pune. Her samples were tested again at the VRDL lab and she was reported positive again.
Both the patients have been kept under close observation in the isolation ward of GMC Jammu.
“They will be discharged once they are cleared of the disease,” said a doctor.
The VRDL lab which started functioning at GMC Jammu just two days ago also corroborated the positive test results of the 63-year-old woman, who was declared coronavirus positive by NIV Pune on Monday and became the first confirmed case of COVID 19 in J&K, the doctor said.
“The elderly male, who is the fresh positive case of the deadly virus, had come in contact with the woman last week and contracted the disease,” the doctor said.
The sample of the old man will be further sent to NIV Pune for cross-examination as he has no symptoms of COVID-19 so far, the doctor said.
An administrator told Kashmir Reader that a 25-year-old youth who was earlier reported as high viral load case has been again found to be having a high viral load while reports of two others were found negative.
“At present, four people are admitted to the isolation ward of GMC Jammu including the two who were tested positive. The results of the other two are still awaited,” he said.
After fresh coronavirus cases surfaced in Jammu, the Jammu University cancelled its academic council meeting and other events as precautionary measures.
The University of Jammu today issued a circular postponing the meeting of the Academic Council, which was scheduled for March 12 (Thursday) in the Committee Room, Administration Block II of the Varsity, till further orders.
The university also postponed all seminars/ conferences/ workshops involving large gathering or having international and national guests scheduled to be held in March, till further orders.
“All Heads of the Department/Rectors/Directors of Centres/Schools/Offsite Campuses, where students are undertaking field trips/ study tours/ picnics/ excursions, etc are requested to defer such programme till further orders,” the JU said in the order issued today.
It further said that any student/staff with travel history to any COVID 19 affected country or in contact with such persons in last 28 days should report to the Medical Officer of the University, Dr Bharat Bhushan.

Manzoor ul-Hassan