The number of deaths due to Covid in Jammu and Kashmir has doubled in just half of November as compared to October while the average daily cases as well as the test positivity rate (TPR) – the percentage of tests turning positive out of the total conducted – shot up by 50%.

The compilation of government’s daily Covid data this month revealed that fatalities related to the disease till November 16 were 23, more than double the number of deaths in October and September when 10 persons had died each month.

Similarly, TPR has increased to 0.30% in November as compared to 0.20% in October and 0.27% in September. The TPR in the first 16 days of November is highest after July’s 0.32%, when the second wave was tapering off. If TPR is below 5%, it indicates that the infection is under control in a community.

The UT recorded 2,183 Covid infections from November 1 to 16 at 136 persons on an average contracting the virus every day. In October, the number was 2,819.

However, it is Kashmir which is contributing to the escalating Covid parameters. Of the 2,183 cases so far in November, 1,864 have been reported in Kashmir and of the 23 deaths, the Valley saw 20 fatalities.

Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) said hospitals in Valley are once again witnessing a rise in the number of severe infections. ”The number of Covid admissions has increased five times over the last few days,” said DAK president and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan. “Most of these admitted patients are either unvaccinated or have received a single dose of vaccine,” he added.

In Kashmir, Srinagar has been consistently contributing to the total caseload for the past few weeks. In November, it added 921 cases to the Covid tally.

The active cases have shot up by 70% this month — from 902 on October 31 to 1,544 on November 16.

The active cases are highest in Srinagar (640), Baramulla (267), Ganderbal (115) and Budgam (113), while 93 such cases are there in Jammu.

DAK general secretary Dr Arshad Ali said the number is expected to rise further in coming days as people have abandoned Covid precautions. “Many people don’t wear masks and don’t care about physical distancing,” he said.

The data reveals that on an average, 45,047 tests were conducted daily in November against 43,482 daily tests in October. As many as 49,374 average daily tests were done in September, 53,359 in August and 56,719 in July.

As many as 13.06 lakh vaccine doses have been administered in November so far. Around 65 lakh people were vaccinated in J&K with one or both the doses in September and October.

DAK spokesperson Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dagga said we have a significant portion of the population which is susceptible to the virus. “People must continue to adhere to the health guidelines to avoid a catastrophic slip-up. And, it is vitally important to vaccinate the unvaccinated people quickly to prevent further spread of the disease,” he added.

168 more test positive in last 24 hours

Meanwhile, the UT on Wednesday recorded 168 new Covid cases and two deaths, an official health bulletin said.

The number of patients who were cured in the UT was 197 with active positive reaching 1,513.

The total recoveries reached 3,28,630 and its rate climbed up to 98.21%. The overall cases in J&K have reached 3,34,600 and the death toll stands at 4,457.