Kashmir on Saturday recorded two cases of new UK Covid-19 strain, which is 70 per cent more transmissible, and has prompted a fresh wave of panic around the world.
Nodal officer for Covid-19 at Srinagar’s JLNM hospital, Dr. Bilquees Shah said that two male patients from Kashmir were tested positive for a new mutant strain of coronavirus that was first reported in the United Kingdom in September 2020.
Both of them are from Srinagar and the administration has started comprehensive contact tracing of the duo, reports said.
Over 90 cases of new UK Covid-19 strain have been found across the country so far.
Jammu and Kashmir has apparently witnessed a substantial drop in its average daily number of Covid-19 cases reported in the recent weeks. From the peak of over 1,600 positive cases per day in September, the number has come down to 100 odd positive cases in the recent days.
However, with first cases of UK Covid-19 strain being reported in the union territory, experts fear a new problem may arise in coming weeks.
“There is a definite reduction in the number of positive cases in the last two months. The number of fatalities has also gone down. Visibly, the trend is downwards, but the entry of new mutant strain into Kashmir is a big worry,” a senior medical officer at Srinagar’s super-specialty SKIMS hospital told DH.