Srinagar: Kashmir reported two coronavirus related deaths on Tuesday, one of them a 27-year-old from Lolab, the youngest victim yet of Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to officials, both the persons who died were from northern Kashmir and they died on Monday, a day before their test results came positive for the new virus.
An elderly woman from Baramulla district and a 27-year-old man from Lolab area of Kupwara district were the latest victims of Covid-19, raising the death toll to 33 in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Both of them were detected positive on Tuesday, a day after their death,” said a health official.
Nodal Officer for Covid-19 at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, Dr M Saleem Khan told Kashmir Reader that the 27-year-old man from Lolab died at SMHS Hospital.
“The patient was suffering from bilateral pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and died within an hour of admission at SMHS Hospital,” he said.
“His swab samples were taken after death and the body was kept in GMC Srinagar mortuary,” Dr Khan said.
The elderly lady from Baramulla was brought dead to GMC Baramulla on Monday, officials said.
“She had multiple ailments and coronavirus deteriorated her condition which led to her death,” said Principal GMC Baramulla, Dr Abdul Hameed.
Her body was kept in the mortuary of GMC Baramulla hospital till the swab samples came positive today.
“The dead body is being handed over to family as per protocol,” the principal said.
Meanwhile, 117 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday including the senior pulmonologist at CD Hospital, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah. Besides him, 13 expecting mothers, two policemen from District Police Lines Kupwara and 36 recent travellers tested positive for coronavirus today.
The total novel coronavirus cases have now risen to 2,718 in J&K including 1,222 travellers and 1,496 others. The region has total 1,732 active cases while 953 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
Of the fresh Covid-19 patients, 44 were detected positive at CD Hospital, 22 at the virology lab of SKIMS Soura, and six at SKIMS Medical College-Hospital Bemina.
Officials said Dr Shah, who is the HoD Chest Medicine at GMC Srinagar, has been admitted to the CD Hospital isolation ward while his contacts are being traced.
They said the doctor contracted the virus from a regular patient who met him recently in CD Hospital.
“An expert team has started the contact tracing in consultation with the Principal GMC Srinagar and district officials,” said Dr Tasaduq, an epidemiologist and nodal officer for Covid-19 at the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir.
He said Dr Shah’s contacts at CD Hospital cannot be sent to quarantine randomly because it would affect the functioning of CD Hospital.
“It is a difficult situation for us right now as Dr Naveed is at the forefront of the Covid-19 fight. We have to follow some different and sophisticated process in this case so that work at CD Hospital doesn’t suffer,” Dr Tasaduq said.
Dr Shah, who also heads a team of doctors and health workers at CD Hospital for fight against Covid-19, wrote a series of tweets on microblogging site Twitter and thanked the well-wishers.
“I am overwhelmed and deeply humbled by the wishes of all known and unknown well-wishers praying for my recovery,” he tweeted and requested everyone to remember him in prayers.
In another tweet, he expressed sadness after some people raised questions over the test reports.
“But am saddened by some saying that my report has been feigned to avoid duties … I will be the last person to do that… I am in quarantine and working from here… available for all possible deliverable services,” he wrote.

Manzoor ul-Hassan