Anantnag: From being a little shy of the 1k mark of total Covid-19 cases detected, the four districts in south Kashmir have taken only a month and a half to report more than 4,000 cases. Three districts have crossed the 1k mark individually and the fourth is not far behind.

Per million cases in the region have also jumped from 389 to more than 1,600, while the number of deaths has risen six times in this period.

On June 4, Kashmir Reader had reported that the total number of cases in Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts of south Kashmir stood at 973. That number, when compared to the official data on July 18, now stands at 4,096.

“Kulgam (1,140 cases), Shopian (1,082 cases), Anantnag (1,032 cases) have already crossed the 1k mark while Pulwama district stands at 842 cases, and is expected to cross the mark soon,” an official told Kashmir Reader.

The number has been swelling despite the authorities imposing a fresh lockdown in most parts of south Kashmir.

“The movement of people has been curbed to a large extent. Besides, emphasis is being laid on social distancing as well as wearing of masks. The numbers, however, keep swelling, which is worrying all of us,” the official said.

The increasing number of infections are being matched by an increasing number of deaths. On June 4 Kashmir Reader had reported that the total number of deaths in these four districts was 12 (Anantnag 5, Kulgam 4, Shopian 3 and Pulwama 0).

“The deaths caused due to Covid-19, today, stand at 71 (Anantnag 18, Kulgam 24, Shopian 18 and Pulwama 11) which is a six-fold increase. This is more worrying than the rise in infections and has to be stopped before things get worse,” the official said.

Another aspect of the rising number of cases is the number of cases per million population. On June 4, this paper had reported the per million cases to be 389 in south Kashmir’s four districts.

“The number of cases per million of the population stands at more than 1,600 in these four districts as on July 18, exactly double of the national average which is somewhere around 820,” the official told Kashmir Reader.

Individually as well, the districts present a grim picture.

Shopian district with a population of 0.27 million has 1,082 cases, which translates into more than 3,500 cases per million of the population, more than triple the national average.

“Kulgam, too, has more than 2,600 cases per million with a population of around 0.4 million,” the official said, adding that only Anantnag – which has the major chunk of the south Kashmir population – seems to be in some sort of control.

Anantnag has a population of over 1 million and the cases stand at 1,032, which comes to 1k cases per million. “Yes, it is still more than the national average but way lower if compared to other districts in the region,” the official said.

For now, the curve does not seem to be flattening any time soon, despite the lockdown and other measures taken by the authorities.

Suhail A Shah