Srinagar, Jun 15: With eight new cases over the past 24 hours, J&K is recording a steady trickle of COVID19 cases amidst sparse testing. All positive cases exhibit mild symptoms, not necessitating admission, doctors said.
However, they have warned that high risk group people must be protected and kept away from crowds, and any people having flu symptoms.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its COVID19 state wise status report has stated that J&K currently has 17 active cases of COVID19. Over the past 24 hours, from Saturday to Sunday, eight new cases have been added to the list from here. No death due to the viral infection has been recorded so far in J&K, while across India, 97 people are recorded as having died to COVID19 since January this year.
A doctor working in a hospital here said that some people are also getting tested at private diagnostic centers, and they may not reflect immediately on the Dashboard of the Health Ministry. “However, the situation is not at all alarming,” he added.
Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, Head Department of Pulmonology, GMC Srinagar said the COVID29 infection with the circulating variant, did not cause any severe symptoms. “Most patients have mild fever and regular flu symptoms,” he said. He however said that not many people were getting tested. “We have not seen many patients here at GMC Hospitals,” he said. He advised people to follow mask advisory in crowds and stay isolated in case they have any flu symptoms. “Parents should refrain from sending children to school if they have fever, cough, sore throat or runny nose,” he said. At Khyber Hospital, Critical Care Specialist, Dr Showkat Shah said that COVID19 was not affecting people the same way it did earlier. However, he said, there was a need to protect the high-risk people as they may be at risk of getting into severe illness. “Those with chronic diseases – malignancies, Chronic Kidney Disease, respiratory ailments, or those on immunosuppressant drugs must be protected. They must not be exposed to crowds or people with flu symptoms,” he said. The World Health Organisation has classified the sub variants of Omicron JN.1, NB.1.8.1, LF.7 that are in circulation as “Variants Under Monitoring”.
