Srinagar: Twenty seven persons including wife of an infected doctor were found positive for the coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, taking the total number of cases in the region to 434.

According to officials, Shopian reported the highest cases (9) among the districts, followed by Anantnag (7) Kupwara (4) and Baramulla (3) while the Covid-19 hotspot district Bandipora reported two cases on Thursday.

They said Ramban district in Jammu today reported first Covid-19 case.

Of the nine cases in Shopian district, eight were reported from Hirpora village alone with the number of those infected by the disease in the village reaching 40.

As many as 55 cases have been reported in the district so far.

“Seven new Covid-19 cases reported today at Anantnag belong to Shangus area,” said a health official.

These are in addition to 20 Covid-19 cases announced earlier by the government, he said adding that all of them were detected positive for the new virus at Chest Diseases Hospital late Thursday evening.

“20 new cases of novel Coronavirus were detected in J&K. 01 from Jammu division while 19 others from Kashmir division – were reported today, taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 427,” tweeted government spokesperson Rohit Kansal earlier in the day.

He said among total 427 cases, 57 are from Jammu division and 370 from Kashmir division.

Officials told Kashmir Reader that of 27 new Covid-19 patients the reports of 18 were found positive at SKIMS lab while 8 each tested positive in Chest Disease Hospital and the remaining one was detected at GMC Jammu hospital.

“We tested 640 samples at the virology lab of SKIMS today which is so far the highest number in a day. Of these 18 tested Covid-19 positive while the remaining were found negative,” said Medical Superintendent, Dr Farooq A Jan.

According to him, Kupwara, 4 persons have been found infected with the virus taking the total number of Covid-19 cases to 55. All of them belong to Muqam-e-Shahwali village. It’s the fourth most affected district after Bandipora (99), Srinagar (79) and Baramulla (50).

Wife of the first Covid-19 doctor from Kashmir is also among the new cases in the north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

“We received her test reports today along with a patient from Ishaam Uri,” said Dr Syed Masood, Medical Superintendent at GMC Baramulla hospital.

“Her contact mapping has been started and scores of her near and dear ones are being quarantined and tested,” he said.

According to official Covid-19 bulletin, over 64,876 people in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while 6,039 people have been kept under home quarantine besides 330 people are in hospital isolation while 279 persons are under the hospital quarantine.

“Jammu had recorded its first positive case on March 9, and Kashmir on March 18,” it said.

“92 patients -75 in Kashmir and 17 in Jammu– have recovered from the disease while five people have died,” the bulletin added.

Nodal Officer at GMC Srinagar, Dr M Saleem Khan told Kashmir Reader that CD Hospital processed 235 samples since 8 pm yesterday out of which 8 tested positive for the virus.

“The new cases include one from Baramulla and seven from Shangus Anantnag while 227 were found negative,” he said.

Manzoor ul-Hassan