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  • Coronavirus | India’s overall tally past 1 lakh

    The country recorded 136 more deaths in the last 24 hours. taking the overall death toll to 3,157.

    India’s tally of COVID-19 cases crossed the one lakh mark on Monday, with 5,079 new cases taking the total to 1,00,734, according to data from the State Health Departments. Of these 58,360 are active cases, while 39,217 persons have recovered from the infection.

    The country recorded 136 more deaths in the last 24 hours. taking the overall death toll to 3,157.

    The average number of new cases everyday since May 11 has gone up to 4,077, while the average number of fatalities per day for the period is 115.

    Maharashtra topped the nationwide tally with more than 35,000 confirmed cases and 1,249 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu with 11,760 confirmed cases and 81 deaths. Gujarat has also reported 11,746 confirmed cases, but its death toll is higher than Tamil Nadu at 694. Mumbai reported 1,185 fresh cases and 23 more deaths, taking the total cases in the city to 21,152 and fatalities to 757.

    According to the Union Health Ministry, the country has now registered a jump of over 10,000 cases in the past two days — the highest so far in 48 hours.

    “India currently has a recovery rate of 38.29%,” noted a release issued by the Health Ministry, which added that in terms of confirmed cases per lakh population, India has so far about 7.1 cases per lakh population which indicates that aggressive and early measures taken so far have shown encouraging results.

    The Ministry added that it has now issued new guidelines to the States for categorisation of red/orange/green zones as part of its lockdown easing measures. The new directive allows States to delineate the containment and buffer zones.

    As per the latest guidelines States have been asked to categorise districts/ municipal corporations, or if warranted subdivision/ ward or any other administrative unit as red/orange/green zone as per their field assessment.

    “States have been told to ensure stringent implementation of the containment plans in these containment zones,” the latest guidelines said.

    “In the containment zones, active search for cases through house-to-house surveillance by special teams, testing of all cases as per sampling guidelines, contact tracing, clinical management of all confirmed cases are the priority tasks. Active involvement of community should be sought in this regard,” the latest guidelines said. States are also required to have a buffer zone around each containment zone to ensure that the infection does not spread to the adjoining areas.

    In her letter to the States and Union Territories, Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said States could categorise areas using the broad guideline issued the Central Health Ministry.

    “They, however, may also choose to categorise sub-division, ward or any other appropriate administrative unit into the colour-coded zones after detailed analysis at their end, duly taking into consideration the geographical spread of cases, contacts and their zone of influence in terms of disease spread,’’ the ministry said.

    The letter states that the demarcation of the zones would be based on total active cases, cases per lakh population, doubling rate calculated over a seven-day period, case fatality rate, testing ratio (number of tests per lakh population) and sample positivity rate.

    The Health Minstry, however, noted that the benchmarks or thresholds for critical and desirable levels are dynamic and may be revised by the Centre as per the evolving situation at the field level.

    Meanwhile, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), India has on Monday written to the Health Ministry stating that many doctors at the frontline, even after taking adequate precautions, are contracting the infection in different parts of the country.

    In their letter the doctors note that the government should take a relook at its guideline for “Quarantine of Healthcare Workers” to ensure that adequate protection is available to this section.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Fire breaks out in Police Training Centre Quarters in Manigam

    Ganderbal: Fire broke out in a quarter at Police Training Centre Manigam here in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

    Sources told KNT that smoke started coming out from a quarter and without no time flames engulfed the quarter. The fire which has not been controlled yet has spread to another quarter.

    The quarters at Manigam Police Training Centre are wooden structures.

    A police official said that no police personnel were present in the quarters. He said fire tenders have reached the spot to douse the flames.

    He added that prima facie short circuit seems to be the cause of fire. (KNT)

  • Are pregnant women more vulnerable to Coronavirus?

    COVID-19 positive mother must wear protective gears while breastfeeding baby, says experts

    Srinagar: Pregnant ladies are little more susceptible to get infected by Covid-19 as compared to the normal population as pregnancy suppresses the immune system but its effect remains very mild and not so severe that it can cause death, health experts said Monday.

    “Significantly, during pregnancy, the upper respiratory tract tends to be swollen due to high levels of estrogen, progesterone and restricted lung expansion, which makes such women susceptible to respiratory pathogens,” a health expert said told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO)

    He said that a pregnant woman with COVID-19 should be carefully monitored throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period since they had receive anti-viral drug therapy and radiation exposure from CT examinations.

    Taking exclusively with KNO, Dr Shabir Sidiqi, Medical superintendent maternity hospital, Lal Ded Srinagar, said that pregnant women are prone to covid-19 as pregnancy weakens immune system but they can reduce their risk by reducing social contacts.

    “Not only to covid-19, pregnant ladies are in general vulnerable to respiratory infections,” he said adding that there is no evidence for vertical transmission of the virus but an increased prevalence of preterm deliveries has been noticed.

    “There is no evidence that virus can transmit to unborn baby, however Covid-19 may alter immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface and affect the well being of mothers and infants,” he said.

    Another expert ,Dr Tabasum, who is Deputy Medical superintendent at JLNM hospital talking to KNO said that pregnant women are bit more vulnerable to covid-19 like other respiratory infections than general population.

    “However, if pregnant ladies will follow the universal guidelines issued by WHO and other organizations in letter and spirit then chances of getting COVID positive are very less,” she said.

    There is no evidence that that virus can transmit to baby, she said. “Mother breastfeeding is must. But a mother should use protective gears while breastfeeding and baby must be kept away from infected mother soon after breastfeeding,” she said.

    Dr Tabasum said that pregnant ladies from urban areas are following the guidelines like maintaining social distances and wearing face masks besides other guidelines than from rural areas due to which the most covid-19 cases among pregnant ladies have been found in women belonging to rural areas.

    Pregnant ladies must wash hands frequently, practice social distance, avoid contact with others as much as possible, get flu vaccination on time, use tissue while coughing or sneezing, don’t ignore any respiratory symptoms, consider virtual consultations instead of prenatal visits to doctor, do things that make you happy, exercise and don’t stress too much, she said, adding that these actions can prevent pregnant women from getting the disease like COVID-19

    Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, Head of Department of Pulmonology section at Chest Disease hospital Srinagar said that yes pregnant ladies have weak immune system but that doesn’t mean, covid-19 can effect only them but it can effect anyone.

    Asked about the rising positive cases of pregnant ladies, he said that a massive sample collection drive of pregnant ladies is going on due to which some positive cases have come to the fore.

    “It all depends upon exposure and whosoever is more exposed is more vulnerable, he said adding that ages, pregnancy and other things have minor effects,” he said.

    Recently, the positive cases of pregnant ladies have come from Anantanag but they all have common contact source of Maternity and child hospital Anantanag, he said.

    Pertinently, around two dozen women have been tested positive for covid-19 so far in Kashmir division including 12 from who were tested positive in a single day. Officials said that among 12 pregnant ladies from Anantnag, only two were from red zones and most of them had no travel history.

    According to the protocol, all pregnant women need to be tested necessarily in thirty-fourth week of pregnancy besides treating all pregnant women as covid-19 probable—(KNO)

  • Coronavirus | 106 cases surface in J&K today

    106 cases surface in J&K today.

    59 are from Anantnag, 12 each from Srinagar and Kulgam, 4 from Kupwara, 2 Bandipora, one each from Baramulla, Shopian, Budgam, Ganderbal and Pulwama.

    55 are policeman including an SP rank officer

    While 34 patients recovered today

  • Covid-19 | 85 persons tested Positive at CD Hospital, Srinagar

    Out of 85 persons tested Positive at CD Hospital Srinagar today, dozens of policemen from District Police Lines, Anantnag

    HoD CD Hospital said that large number of policemen have been tested positive.

    “Will shortly reveal the exact figure,” Dr Salim Tak said.

    Unconfirmed reports said 55 policemen have been tested positive today.

  • Israeli settler found guilty of murder in arson attack on Palestinian family

    The triple conviction of Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, by Lod District Court carries a potential life prison sentence.

    Reuters

    An Israeli court found a Jewish settler guilty of racially motivated murder on Monday in a 2015 arson attack that killed a Palestinian couple and their baby in the occupied West Bank.

    The triple conviction of Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, by Lod District Court carries a potential life prison sentence.

    He has argued that Israeli investigators forced him to make a false confession to the attack on the Dawabsheh family’s home in the village of Duma. A lawyer for Ben-Uliel said on Monday that he would appeal the verdict at Israel’s Supreme Court.

  • Do not test dead people for coronavirus: Delhi govt to hospitals

    However, if doctors are satisfied from clinical examination that the cause of death may be coronavirus infection, the dead body may be released as suspect COVID-19 infected dead body, according to an order.

    The Delhi government has ordered hospitals not to take samples of dead people to test for coronavirus.

    “No sample for COVID-19 test will be taken of dead body. However, if doctors are satisfied from clinical examination that the cause of death may be COVID-19 infection, the dead body may be released as suspect COVID-19 infected dead body,” read a “revised order” issued on Sunday by Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department, Padmini Singla.

    “Following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be followed for disposal of the dead bodies of COVID-19 patient/COVID-19 suspect person,” the revised order said.

    The Delhi government spokesperson said that other states were also not testing dead people for the virus. “Many times, families were insisting for COVID-19 testing of dead bodies before cremation, even if a person died at home as they were scared,” the spokesperson said.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Indian worker in UAE fired for islamobhobic social media posts

    Brajkishore Gupta was fired without notice for calling Indian Muslims ‘coronavirus spreaders’ and hailing the Delhi riots as ‘divine justice’ in his Facebook posts, the Gulf News reported.

    PTI

    An Indian working in a mining company in the UAE has become the latest expatriate to have lost his job for “Islamophobic” social media posts, a media report said on May 18.

    Brajkishore Gupta was fired without notice for calling Indian Muslims ‘coronavirus spreaders’ and hailing the Delhi riots as ‘divine justice’ in his Facebook posts, the Gulf News reported.

    Mr. Gupta, who is from Chapra, Bihar, was employed by Stevin Rock, a mining company headquartered in Ras Al Khaimah city.

    “This isolated incident involving a junior employee was investigated and dealt with immediately, resulting in the termination without notice of this person’s employment with Stevin Rock,” said the company’s business development and exploration manager Jean-Francois Milian.

    “Our company policy supports the direction of the UAE government in promoting tolerance and equality and strongly renouncing racism and discrimination and we have sent communications to all of our employees irrespective of their religious or ethnic background reminding them that any such behaviour is unacceptable and will lead to immediate dismissal,” Mr. Milian was quoted as saying in the report.

    Three Indians based in the UAE were either fired or suspended from their jobs for islamophobic posts on social media early this month.

    On April 20, India’s ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor had warned Indian expatriates against such behaviour.

    “India and UAE share the value of non-discrimination on any grounds. Discrimination is against our moral fabric and the Rule of law. Indian nationals in the UAE should always remember this,” he said in a tweet.

    Last month, Sharjah-based businessman Sohan Roy had to apologise for “unintentionally hurting religious sentiments” through his poem, which alluded to a Muslim religious group.

    In March, chef Trilok Singh was fired from a restaurant in Dubai for an online threat against a student in Delhi over her views on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

  • Pakistan summons senior Indian diplomat over ‘ceasefire violations’

    In 2020, India has so far committed 1,081 ceasefire violations, the Pakistan Foreign Office claimed

    PTI

    Pakistan on Monday summoned a senior diplomat from the Indian High Commission and registered its protest over the alleged ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the Line of Control.

    The Foreign Office claimed that the “indiscriminate and unprovoked firing” by the Indian forces on Sunday in Khuiratta Sector resulted in serious injuries to a 37-year-old civilian.

    The Indian security forces “along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting the civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons,” the FO alleged.

    In 2020, India has so far committed 1,081 ceasefire violations, it claimed.

    It said that the Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other such incidents of ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB.

  • Kashmir Reports 2nd Covid-19 death in a day, toll 15

    Srinagar: Kashmir Valley recorded second death on Monday and 15th overall as a 65-year-old covid-19 patient from Kulgam died at the CD hospital here.

    “A 65-year-old female from Kulgam, who was admitted in Surgical ICU in SMHS Hospital as case of sub dural haemorrhage (SDH) tested positive for COVID today morning and was shifted to CD Hospital Srinagar where immediately after admission she had cardiac arrest and instantly died,” Dr Salim, concerned nodal officer told GNS.

    Earlier,a 75-year-old man from Anantnag died at the CD hospital.

    The deaths come a day after a 29-year-old woman with underlying ailments died at the CD hospital here. She was the youngest victim of the dreaded disease in J&K so far.
    With the latest fatality, 15 persons have died due to the disease so far in Jammu and Kashmir—13 of them in Kashmir and two in the Jammu division.

    The Srinagar district has reported 5 of the deaths, highest in any district, followed by Baramulla (3), 2 in Anantnag while one each has been reported in Bandipora, Budgam, Kulgam, Udhampur, and Jammu. (GNS)