Ladakh shows how to deal with coronavirus pandemic

The Ladakh UT has registered just one coronavirus positive case in the last 15 days

While the spread of coronavirus accelerates rapidly elsewhere around the world, the pandemic is slowing down across Ladakh Union Territory (UT).

The Ladakh UT, which was one of the first few regions in the country to report positive coronavirus cases, has registered just one case in the last 15 days. The first two positive cases in the UT were reported on March 7 with both the patients having travel history to Iran.

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By March 18, the number of positive cases in the UT, which has 2.74 lakh population according to the 2011 census, jumped to 13. As of now total active positive cases in Ladakh are seven with seven patients having been recovered.

A senior health official in Leh told DH that sample reports of about 49 people were received on Thursday and all of them tested negative. He attributed the success to stop the rise of the positive cases, to measures like, “strict lockdown, and mass contact tracing.”

“We need to step up surveillance and find cases early; isolate them and treat them and trace their contacts to contain its spread,” the official said, adding that this was adopted by the health and other agencies in Ladakh.

Divisional Commissioner Ladakh (UT) Swagat Biswas said the implementation of the complete lockdown at an earliest, contact tracing, self-declaration and testing has to a large extent helped in combating the COVID-19. “Lockdown is, of course, working and people are cooperating; as of now we have been able to contain the virus to some extent,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Central Rapid Response Team (CRRT) of doctors of PGIMER, Chandigarh has appreciated the people of Ladakh for their sense of understanding, cooperation and thankfulness towards the health professionals and workers in observing the lockdown and combating COVID-19.

The CRRT of doctors for COVID-19 confirmed that following a proactive and stringent policy of UT administration, the situation so far is under control in Ladakh.

A senior doctor in Srinagar, who is at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, said people in the Valley and other parts of the country were simply not ready to tackle the coronavirus with the speed and seriousness that Ladakh has.

“This is the reason that COVID-19 cases in Kashmir and other parts of the country are rising rapidly. We need to replicate the Ladakh model to deal with the deadly virus,” he suggested.