24 pregnant women test positive for COVID at Lal Ded

SRINAGAR – At least 24 pregnant women tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday at Kashmir’s lone maternity hospital Lalla Ded, with officials expecting the number to rise.

The healthcare workers, patients, and attendants were seen pulling their masks up after 24 patients were detected positive for the virus on arrival at Out Patient Department (OPD).

“Every patient has to undergo RAT before entering the hospital for the treatment. As of now, 24 have tested positive and there will obviously be more in Casualty and other departments,” a health official at the LD hospital said.

“Many of our doctors have contracted the CoVID in the past few weeks,” he said.

On Tuesday, 104 new cases of the infection were recorded in Jammu and Kashmir including 78 cases in Kashmir valley alone. One person had died with the CoVID.

The case tally has risen to 3,40,036 while the death toll jumped to 4,514-2,319 in Kashmir and 2,195 in Jammu, officials said.

Government has asked pregnant women and sick infants to avail free services by dialling toll free number 102 in case of any emergency.

At least 64,343 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered on Tuesday, bringing the cumulative number of doses administered across J&K to 1,77,22,318.