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Srinagar Apr 17: With reports that recovered coronavirus patients are getting reinfected, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday urged health authorities in Kashmir valley to test recovered patients for antibodies that would help us know whether they are immune for reinfection.
“Patients who recover are getting infected with the virus again,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
“141 cases in South Korea who had recovered from the disease were tested positive for the virus again,” he said.
“About 15 percent of recovered patients in the Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen were retested positive for the virus,” he added.
Dr Nisar said while the recovery rate is promising, it does not mean that those who have been infected with the novel virus are not still at risk.
“Having the virus once does not mean you can’t get sick from it again,” he said.
Dr Nisar said not all people who recover from coronavirus have the antibodies to fight a second infection
“A new study from China suggests that some people who have recovered from coronavirus have very low or even undetectable levels of protective antibodies against the virus,” he said.
“The study found that almost a third of those who recovered had low levels of antibodies against the virus, with ten patients having no detectable levels of neutralizing antibodies at all,” he added.
Dr Nisar said this raises concern that patients surviving COVID-19 don’t develop immunity to prevent reinfection.
“The low amounts of antibodies could affect herd immunity which is the resistance to the disease among the general population to stop its spread,” he said.
“This will also have implications for the development of a vaccine. If the real virus could not induce an antibody response, the weakened version used in a vaccine may not work for some patients too,” said Dr Nisar

SRINAGAR: Police on Friday arrested 20 people including an Imam for assembling and offering Friday Congregational Prayers at a mosque in Batwara area of Sonwar, Srinagar.

Police sources told Asiannewshub that some people assembled and tried to offer Friday Congregational prayers at a mosque in Batwara area of Srinagar, thus voilating the advisory issued to contain the spread of deadly novel #coronavirus in Kashmir valley.

Taking strong note of the incident, police booked 20 persons including an Imam and registered a formal FIR vide number 51/2020 under section 188,269 & 271 IPC against the violators. (ANH)

‘No international preacher to be invited this time’

Budgam: In wake of looming threat from Covid-19, Anjuman Shari Shian has decided to cease all religious activities in the month of holy Ramadhan.

President, Anjuman Shari Shian, Aga Syed Hasan Almosvi Alsafvi, who is facing house detention since August last year told KNT that the organization held a special meeting in wake of present crisis emerged due to Covid-19 outbreak. “During the meeting it was decided not to invite any international delegates of Qaris or NaatKhawns as has been the practice. The congregational Quran Khawani and recitation training will also not take place in the coming holy month due to the prevailing condition.

No Chilla, the 40-day self-confinement in Masjids will be allowed until further orders,” he said. Aga Syed Hasan advised believers to pray individually at their homes and explore spirituality with Allah (SWT). “Performing social responsibility is of utmost importance so voluntarily donate alms and charity, share your surplus and make supplication for well-being of every person of the world,” he said adding that Anjuman’s Quick Reaction Team (QRT) is already in place to extend any possible help and establish links of social-caring. (KNT)

Srinagar: Government of Jammu and Kashmir has issued instructions to the concerned departments for regulating and facilitating the construction activities to be carried out during the lockdown period while following the norms of social distancing.

According to an order issued by Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir, copy of which lies with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), it has been impressed upon the departments to carry out certain construction activities under set guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOP). 

As per the order, the concerned executive engineers shall have to identify the works to be resumed during the lockdown period and a list of such projects/works shall be shared with the concerned district magistrates.

They have also been directed to prepare the list of the required machinery and equipment to be deployed at the identified construction sites/works and same shall be submitted to the concerned district magistrates for permission. “In construction projects falling within municipal limits, the/construction workers shall have to stay at the construction site.

The concerned contractor in coordination with the executive engineer shall me sufficient arrangement for their stay, besides providing masks and sanitation items and keep social distancing norms place,” reads the order. The order also read that in construction projects in rural areas, the labour has to stay in the areas adjoining the construction site—(KNO)

Srinagar: A Covid-19 patient died at JVC SKIMS Bemina here in Srinagar on Friday. With the death of the patient, the toll in Jammu and Kashmir has touched to 5. Four persons have died of Covid-19 infection in Kashmir, while one died in Udhampur.

Medical Superintendent JVC SKIMS, Bemina, Dr Shafia Deva told KNT that a Covid-19 patient who was admitted in the hospital after he was declared positive died this afternoon. “An elderly man from North Kashmir was admitted in our hospital on April 2 and today he died,” she said. (KNT)

PTI

A record number of 4,591 Americans have died in the last 24 hours due to the deadly coronavirus in the U.S., which has the highest number of COVID-19 casualties in the world.

According to the Johns Hopkins University data, by 8 p.m. on Thursday, as many as 4,591 Americans have died in the last 24 hours, The Wall Street Journal said.