J&K’s COVID-19 recovery rate decreases considerably to 32%

Community spread in Kashmir a reality, says top medico

The recovery rate of COVID-19 positive patients, the share of people who have been discharged from hospital after turning negative for coronavirus, has decreased considerably in Jammu and Kashmir in the recent weeks due to the surge in new cases.

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The recovery rate that was over 50% percent three weeks ago has now slipped to below 33% in the Union Territory. As per official figures, on 15 May, out of 1013 cases, 489 were active positives and 513 had recovered while 11 had died. The recovery rate then was more than 50%.

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On 23 May, out of 1569 positive cases, 774 were active positives while the same number was of recovered patients besides 21 deaths. The recovery rate was exactly 50%.

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Jammu and Kashmir saw a record single-day jump of 409 coronavirus cases and four deaths on Saturday, pushing the infection tally to 3684 and the death toll to 39. Out of 3684 positive cases, 1126 have recovered which signifies that over 32% of the cases had recovered.

Around 80 per cent of the people who were tested positive for COID-19 had no symptoms. Doctors, however, say in such a scenario, the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients is not a right denominator. “Those who are asymptomatic don't have to recover, they only have to turn negative. Unfortunately, hospitals are largely being used as quarantine facilities,” a senior doctor said.

Director of tertiary-care SKIMS hospital in Srinagar, Dr AG Ahanger says that community spread was a reality in Kashmir. “Kashmir is facing a community spread of COVID-19 for sure. We have to accept it and learn to live with it,” he was quoted by a local news gathering agency as having said.

However, Dr Ahangar, people shouldn’t panic and instead get ready to fight the pandemic. “We have to take precautions to minimize the effect of community spread. Guidelines already in public domain need to be followed in spirit,” the top medico said.

As J&K like the rest of the country is easing its lockdown requirements through a graded, preemptive and proactive approach, the administration has issued standard operating procedures for operation of public and semi-public environments where the virus has a higher chance to spread. The new guidelines aim to instill COVID appropriate behaviour to contain the chain of transmission while allowing social and economic activity to resume.