COVID-19: Every third person in J-K positive, health officials say

SRINAGAR — Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in J&K, the positivity rate is high, however, the hospitality rate is less, officials said on Tuesday.

Top health officials while talking with the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that at present, the positivity rate is very high and every third person in J&K is found to be positive for COVID-19.

Principal GMC Jammu, Dr Shashi Sudan while talking with KNO, said that the current positivity rate is very high and every third person in J&K is found positive for COVID-19.

She said that so far no death has been reported only because of the omicron variant and whosoever dies has underlying problems. “The positivity rate is very high and it has taken a toll on health care workers. So far around 500 doctors and paramedics have been tested positive for COVID-19 in GMC Jammu and its associated hospitals,” Sudan said.

She said that though hospitalization rates haven’t increased so much, we shouldn’t lower the guard and should continue to follow CAB in letter and spirit.

Top officials from Kashmir division also said that the positivity rate is quite higher than what they are witnessing on official data as there are hundreds of people who are testing themselves at home or at private laboratories, besides most people who have symptoms just isolate themselves at home without getting tested.

“Deaths which are currently witnessed are of those who are having underlying problems and most of them are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated,” they said.