Srinagar records 50.9% COVID-19 cases in 8 days

Srinagar: Srinagar district has reported 50.9 percent of the COVID-19 cases in J&K in past eight days, throwing up a major challenge for authorities to contain spread of the deadly virus.

The number of Covid19 cases recorded in J&K during the last eight days is 1165 out of which 593 cases have been reported from the Srinagar district.

The continuous rise in the cases from the district raises the apprehensions of Srinagar emerging as a virus hotspot in a possible 3rd wave of the pandemic.

As per the official data, on Monday, Srinagar witnessed 53 percent cases on Monday while 54.7 % of the cases were recorded in the daily reported COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Also, on Saturday the number of cases reported from the district was 67 out of 152 cases reported across J&K. Friday witnessed the highest number of cases recorded from Srinagar district which was 96 out of 155 total cases of the day across J&K which contributed around 61.9 percent cases in a day.

Similarly, on the other days, the number of cases was higher than the rest of the districts despite the continuous efforts of the government to contain the spread of the virus.

The administration states that the spread was not from the whole district but from a few pockets. As already reported, around 30 areas have been declared as containment zones, a decision taken to control the spread of the virus.

The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar Muhammad Aijaz Assad earlier stated that the spike in the cases was because of recent because of recent religious congregations held in different localities across the district.

“The recent spike in the cases has been specifically reported in the areas where the congregations were held. There has been a four-fold increase in the cases there,” DC Srinagar said. He also said a complete lockdown may be imposed in the areas of Srinagar where cases are reported every day.

Officials apprehend that if people do not adhere to COVID SoPs, Srinagar will emerge as the hotspot of a possible 3rd wave and will bring a bad name to the district.

The administration has been continuously urging people to strictly follow COVID Appropriate Behavior (CAB) including mask wearing and social distancing besides taking the COVID-19 vaccination in order to contain further disease spread.

While the cases in Srinagar are on rise, the district administration has been able to maintain a good pace of vaccination of people above 18 years of age.

As already reported by this newspaper, the average success rate of J&K and particularly Srinagar in administering the vaccine doses was more than that of the national average.

The national average of second dose is only 21 percent while in Srinagar it is 26 percent and in J&K it is 31 percent.

Around 68 percent people have been administered first dose while 26 percent people have been given second dose in Srinagar district.

Also, the J&K Lieutenant Governor on Sunday stated that around 50 percent cases were reported from Srinagar district alone and urged the people to adhere to Covid19 SoPs.

“I urge the people to adhere to Covid19 SoPs and Covid Appropriate Behavior (CAB). You (people) should also educate others about the importance of vaccination and encourage them to take the vaccine dose to control the spread otherwise we will go back to square one where we were last year,” he had said.