Two more COVID-19 deaths in J&K; toll rises to 33

Two more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the union territory to 33, officials said here on Tuesday.

The fresh fatalities include a 25-year-old man from Kupwara and an 80-year-old woman from Baramulla, they said. The test report of the man, who had died at a hospital here on Monday, came back positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, they said.

He was suffering from acute pneumonia. He is the youngest patient to die due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir, they said. The officials said the woman, who also died on Monday, has also tested positive for COVID-19.

With these deaths, the death toll due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 33, they said. Meanwhile, top pulmonologist Naveed Nazir Shah, who was leading a COVID hospital here, tested positive for the respiratory disease late on Monday night.

"I'm overwhelmed and deeply humbled by the wishes of all my known and unknown well wishers praying for my recovery... tested positive.. followed #protocol and got #admitted ... thank you everyone ..remember in prayers," Shah said in a tweet.

He, however, expressed sadness over some reports that he had doctored his report to avoid duty.

"But (I) am saddened by some reporting my report has been feigned to avoid duties ... I will be the last person to do that ... I'm in quarantine and working from here ... available for all possible deliverable services," he said.

As of Monday, Jammu and Kashmir had 2,601 COVID-19 cases, according to official data.