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Srinagar Apr 02: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Thursday said nearly one in every 13 test samples in Kashmir valley are coming out positive for the novel (new) coronavirus.
“Overall, country has about one in 22 tests positive for COVID-19,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
“As of April 02, Kashmir valley has tested 678 samples, of which 53 (7.8 percent) were positive,” he said adding “overall, in India of 42,788 samples, 1, 965 (4.5 percent) cases were tested positive.”
Dr Nisar said the reason for our higher percentage of test results coming positive could be because of more target testing or the testing rate is high than rest of the states. It is also possible that the number of cases in the valley are more than other parts of the country.
“Kashmir has 7.57 cases per one million which is higher COVID-19 case density than most states in India,” he added.
Dr Nisar said in comparison to India, as of March 25 about a quarter of all tests in Italy, about a sixth in Austria and a tenth in UK were positive for COVID-19.
“74,386 of 324,445 tests (23 percent) in Italy, 6001 of 35,995 tests (16.7 percent) in Austria, 65,497 of 484,062 tests (13.5 percent) in US and 9,529 of 97,019 tests (10 percent) in the UK were positive,” he said.
Dr Nisar said more testing rates in other countries could be the reason for higher number of cases.
“India performs 18 tests per one million, Italy has testing rate of 5,268 tests per million and South Korea conducts 6,931 per million population,” he said.
Dr Nisar said we need to expand testing as that is only way to know the actual burden of the disease in the community.
“More than 80 percent of coronavirus cases are mild and they don’t turn up and go unreported. We need to find them and test them,” he said
Dr Nisar said there are few reported cases in the valley who had no history of travel or contact which gives us an early indication that the infection is spreading untraced in the local community.
“We need to switch from restrictive to wider testing to know if there is community spread,” he said.
“Under new guidelines, anyone with symptoms compatible with the novel coronavirus, irrespective of travel or contact history qualifies for diagnostic testing,” said Dr Nisar.

Srinagar, April 02 (KNO): Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam Thursday lashed out at the Government of India for announcing the domicile law at a time when entire world is facing the challenge of Covid-19, Kashmiris were again “back stabbed.” Islam said new domicile law is totally unacceptable for the people of Kashmir.

Talking to wire service—Kashmir News Observer(KNO), Islam said that the new job law is totally unacceptable to people d will have serious repercussions.

“The Government of India GoI choose timing when Pandemic has engulfed entire world. This is backstabbing and we totally oppose it” , Islam told—KNO. He said keeping top jobs for outsiders and peon and class IV jobs for Kashmir is a sheer injustice—(KNO)

Srinagar, April 02 (KNO): Hurriyat Conference (M) in a statement today, said that the process to change the demographic character of Jammu and Kashmir started in August 2019 is being systematically carried forward and the recent domicile order issued by the Government of India is part of that plan.

In a statement to Wire Service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), such orders are meant to facilitate the inflow and settlement of people from outside the state into J&K to turn the local residents of the state into a minority.

The statement said that these attempts not only undermine the efforts for  peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue , but are an assault on the  prospects of employment and growth of our youth and future generations of Jammu and Kashmir and their rights and an attempt to erode the unique cultural heritage of  the regions .

The Hurriyat said that since August 2019 all such orders by GOI and the manner in which they are being thrust and implemented on people of J&K has been deeply distressing and painful for the people to say the least.

The statement said  the timing of the order is unbelievable and suspect. At the time when the severe calamity of Covid 19 has struck the entire world and the whole world is battling its survival , such an order was issued. People of J&K as elsewhere in the world , are under lockdown due to this grave medical emergency , and can’t even raise their voice against such an order to show their resentment, it said.

Hurriyat appealed to the global community and people with a conscience in India,  to wake up to what is happening in J&K and respond to our situation in the light of ethics and principles of justice.

It reiterated that the internationally acknowledged issue of J&K has to be resolved peacefully as per the wishes of its people and between India Pakistan and the people of entire J&K the three parties to the conflict—(KNO)

Srinagar: The test report of first patient admitted in Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar for Covid-19 has been found negative.
  
The patient (name withheld) was in hospital quarantine from past 15 days and today his test was found negative. Head of Department, Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar, Dr Naveed Shah confirmed to KNT that the first patient tested positive for Covid-19 has been tested negative. He however didn’t divulge information about the location and name of the patient.
  
He added that quarantine is the best remedy to combat this lethal virus. “We have to maintain social distance at any cost and stay indoors,” he added.
  
Meanwhile, Kashmir’s first positive case, the 65-year-old woman from downtown Srinagar is completely cured and is back home where she would now follow the mandatory quarantine of 14 days or 28 days as advised by the doctors. (KNT)