Two women, 1 student test positive for Omicron after recovery in Jmu

Three Covid patients in Jammu including two women and a student have been confirmed positive for the Omicron variant today. With these cases, the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus- which has been designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, has infiltrated into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. All of them had no travel history are from Jammu city.

According to the health and medical education department, three Omicron cases confirmed by NCDC, Delhi from a cluster in Jammu. The samples were taken on November 30. While the RTPCR testing of entire locality has been ordered, the department has urged the general public to Please observe Covid Appropriate Behaviour.

As per health officials two Kashmir Pandit women were from Talab-Tillo area of the city-who had attended a marriage function and while the third is class 10 student KV Bantalab. Fortunately all of them have turned negative for the Covid-19 now.

Chief Medical Officer, Jammu, Dr. JP Singh while confirming the detection of three cases Omicron variant of Covid in Jammu has urged the public to observe Covid Appropriate Behaviour. “I urge the public to observe CAB and any violation of COVID19 safety guidelines would be an “invitation to third wave of virus”, he said.

He shared that the samples of three patients were from the two micro containment zones which were declared earlier. “The health teams lifted the samples of 144 persons from the zones and three of them after genome sequencing came out positive for Omicron variant”, he said. “On Wednesday teams of health care workers will be visiting both the localities and will carry out extensive RTPCR sampling and surveillance drive of the entire area. We will be ensuring contact tracing of the positives”, CMO Jammu, shared.

As per experts, the persons testing positive for Omicron with no travel history suggest that-the new variant which is at least three times more transmissible than the delta is making inroads in the UT.

Meanwhile, the centre has told states that the coronavirus Omicron variant is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta strain, alerting them for a surge in infections. In a letter to states, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that a close watch has to be kept on districts where the test positivity has been more than 10 per cent in the last one week or the bed occupancy of over 40 per cent on oxygen supported or ICU beds.

“In case any one of these parameters are met in any District, district level containment measures and restrictions may be put in place forthwith. Equally important, the restrictions must be strictly enforced,” Bhushan said. States were advised to take measures for containment and restrictions before infections spike, keeping in mind the higher transmissibility of Omicron.

The ministry said that at the district level there should be constant review of emerging data regarding the population affected by Covid-19, geographical spread, hospital infrastructure and its utilization and manpower. “Even greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level. The decision making at the State and district level must be very prompt and focused,” Bhushan said in his letter.

His ministry reiterated that states have to undertake right proportion of RT-PCR tests in total tests being conducted daily and ensure contact tracing of all Covid positive persons. “Increase bed capacity, other logistics like ambulances, mechanism for seamless shifting of patients, availability and operational readiness of oxygen equipment, buffer stock of drugs to be ensured by prompt utilization of Emergency Covid Response Package funds released by Central Government,” government has told states.

The focus should be on districts where the first and second dose coverage of vaccination is less than the national average.

After surge in the Covid-19 cases in Jammu, the district administration has declared three micro containment areas today, including -Lane number 2 Easy Day, sector-2, extension Trikuta Nagar, Lane near Walnut Factory in Sanjay Nagar and Lane near park at sector number 4 in Roop Nagar.

Meanwhile, three persons who had foreign travel history and were tested positive for Covid-19 have been discharged from DRDO hospital Jammu after testing negative. All the three persons who had foreign travel history and were tested positive for Covid-19 on return and later shifted to DRDO hospital have been discharged as their recent RT-PCR tests have come negative. They said that there is no positive patient in the hospital who has foreign travel history.

It is pertinent to mention here that in the second week of the ongoing month, three persons from Jammu with foreign travel history were tested positive for Covid-19 and their samples were sent for genome sequencing to check the presence of new variant Omicron. Three persons with travel history of Ireland, Italy and France were found positive for Covid-19 through RT-PCR. “Their samples were sent to Delhi for genome sequencing to check whether all three or any one of them is Omicron infected,” officials said.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday reported one death and 104 fresh positive cases of COVID-19, thus taking the number of total active cases in the Union Territory to 1,327. With one more death, the death toll in J&K has reached 4,514 and 104 fresh positive cases reported on Tuesday have pushed the tally of positive cases to 340,036. Of the exact number of 334,195 cases, 214,143 are from Kashmir division and 125,893 from Jammu division.

Among 104 new cases, 78 belong to Kashmir division while as 26 are from Jammu division, adding that the total number of positive cases in Kashmir division have reached to 214,143 including 210,829 recoveries and 2,319 deaths while as total number of positive cases in Jammu division have reached to 125,893 including 123,366 recoveries and 2,195 deaths. The officials said that the total number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 1,327 including 995 from Kashmir division and 332 from Jammu division.