Anantnag: Anantnag district in south Kashmir has only 131 active cases of Covid-19 out of nearly 700 cases detected in the district so far, with a recovery rate of 79 percent — second only to Bandipora district in Kashmir.
Bandipora district, however, has fewer cases (296) detected of the virus, compared to other districts in Kashmir division. Srinagar district, which tops the list with 1,021 cases, has a recovery rate of only 36 percent.
Anantnag reported a positive case much later than other districts, around mid April. However, a sudden spike in the number of cases in Nowgam area of the district, and from the District Police Lines and some paramilitary CRPF camps, took the district to the top of the ladder.
So far, the district has registered 692 cases of the virus. “The thing that is comforting, however, has been the great recovery rate,” a senior official in the district administration told Kashmir Reader.
He said that the district has only 131 active positive cases as 552 patients have recovered. “This has been possible only through active contact tracing and then timely isolation of the positive people,” the official said.
Anantnag has witnessed 9 deaths due to the infection so far.
The neighboring Kulgam district has, after an initial lag, also been picking up on the recovery front.
Currently the district has only 233 active positive cases and a cumulative number of cases at 846. This is a recovery rate of around 70 percent.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Showkat Aijaz Bhat, attributes the recovery rate to active contact tracing and aggressive testing.
“We have the highest testing rate among many districts and that has led to identification of the positives, isolation and then timely recovery,” Bhat told Kashmir Reader. The district however has a higher mortality rate than Anantnag district, with as many as 16 deaths so far.
Another district in the south Kashmir region, Shopian, has also witnessed a recovery rate of 76 percent so far. Besides, the district has more cumulative cases than other districts of the region at 846.
12 people have died so far in Shopian district due to Covid-19.
Pulwama meanwhile is lagging behind with a recovery rate of only 48 percent. The district’s cumulative cases, however, are only 518 — much lower than the other districts.

Suhail A Shah