A Kashmir village reports eight new coronavirus cases

Nowgam village in Anantnag district is emerging as the latest COVID hotspot in Kashmir as eight new cases were reported on Thursday as the total number of active cases in the southern district of the valley went up to 85, officials said.

"We had eight new cases detected in Nowgam area of Shangus. This is the same area where we had our first positive case in the district," a senior officer of Anantnag district said.

He said most of cases in Anantnag district have been reported from this village and adjoining areas.

The first COVID-19 positive case in the district was detected on April 14 and the number has been rising steadily since then.

"The increasing number of positive cases shows that contact tracing is in the right direction," the official said.

To put the numbers of Anantnag in perspective, Srinagar district reported its first COVID-19 positive case on March 16 and the total number of positive cases in the district on Wednesday was 87.

Bandipora district in north Kashmir has the highest number of positive cases reported so far at 127.

Gund Jehangir village has been the worst affected village not only in the district but entire Jammu and Kashmir.

It was the first hotspot of the union territory and the extent of spread of the novel coronavirus in the village can be understood from the fact that most of the 400-odd residents there have been out in some sort of quarantine or home isolation.

Shopian district in South Kashmir also has high number positive cases in the valley with 71 cases while Baramulla has 73 cases.

Budgam (19), Ganderbal (14), Kulgam (9) and Pulwama (5) have so far seen low incidence of positive coronavirus cases.

Eight persons have died due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir with seven of these deaths reported from the valley. The total number of positive cases in the Union territory has crossed 600 already.