Srinagar: COVID-19 patient dies at SKIMS Hospital; J&K toll jumps to 5

A COVID-19 patient died at SKIMS Medical College and hospital in Srinagar's Bemina on Friday afternoon taking the death toll of patients in Jammu and Kashmir to five.

Principal, SKIMS Medical College, Professor (Dr.) Reyaz Untoo said that a 70-year-old patient from Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, who was admitted before 10 days, passed away Friday morning.

He said at present 90-plus COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital. The SKIMS has 120 dedicated beds for isolation wards along with 50 beds in high dependence unit and four beds in ICU.

READ | COVID-19 Toll Soars To 314 In J&K; Rapid Anti-body Testing To Start Soon

Maintain social distance

Dr. Untoo said that with all the arrangements in place, the hospital has been able to handle COVID-19 cases effectively and the administration is always working further to improve the facilities. In order to stay safe, he urged the public to maintain social distance. He further added that patients admitted in his institute are provided all kinds of facilities including high-end medicines, hygienic food free of cost., sanitizers, toothpaste, etc.

READ | J&K Begins Process To Let Nomadic Tribes Move Along With Their Livestock To Upper Reaches

Death toll in J&K rises

Pertinently with the latest death of COVID-19 patient, the toll in J&K Union Territory reached five. To recall, on April 8, a 61-year-old lady from Udhampur died at a Jammu hospital while a day earlier, a 54-year-old man from north Kashmir’s Bandipora died at SMHS hospital in Srinagar.

On March 29, a 50-year-old man from Baramulla died at CD hospital in Srinagar while four days prior, a 65-year-old Tablighi Jamaat preacher from Hyderpora in Srinagar became the first COVID casualty in J&K. Till April 16 evening, the number of people tested positive for novel Coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir had reached 314.

While the first case was reported in J&K on March 18, there were very few cases for a couple of weeks. However, it began to rise in the first week of April breaching 100 cases on April 5. The next 100 reached rapidly, in just five days, on April 10.

(Photo: AP)

READ | J&K Govt Directs Deputy CMOs To Continue Family Planning, Immunization Activities

READ | COVID-19 Doubling Rate Improves To 6.2 Days; Growth Rate Declines By 40%: Health Ministry