Srinagar: The grandchildren of a Natipora resident who had returned from Saudi Arabia last week and had tested positive for novel coronavirus two days ago also tested positive of the virus at Chest Diseases Hospital, Srinagar, on Thursday. One of them is an 8-month-old infant who is on breast feed and the other is 7 years old. Their mother is also admitted in the Isolation facility of JLNM Hospital.
“Two more positive cases in Srinagar. Siblings (7 years old and 8 months old) – grandchildren of a confirmed case from Srinagar with travel history to Saudi Arabia who had tested positive on 24th,” Rohit Kansal, the government spokesperson, tweeted.
With the two fresh positive cases, the total number of active coronavirus patients reached 11 in Jammu and Kashmir. One of the patients died today at CD Hospital while another has recovered from the virus at SKIMS Soura.
Nodal Officer for Covid-19 at GMC Srinagar, Dr Salim Khan, told Kashmir Reader that the samples of the minor siblings came positive for novel coronavirus on Thursday evening.
Both of them are admitted to isolation ward of JLNM Hospital along with their family, he said.
They are asymptomatic and require extra care, he said. One of them, who is an infant, is on breast feed while the test results of their mother are yet to come, Dr Khan said.
A senior doctor associated with Doctors Association Kashmir said the children should not be separated from their mother as they are minors.
“I suggest that they should be kept in the same isolation ward with their mother,” he said.
The JLNM Hospital has a full-fledged children’s section. “It will help them recover soon,” the doctor said.
In the evening, a third patient was declared positive. The patient from Rajouri had come in contact with Sopore man who became the first to die of COVID in the Valley.

Manzoor ul-Hassan