Ladakh’s mission suffers setback

Tribune News Service

Jammu/Leh, April 25

The Ladakh UT administration’s mission to make the region “Covid-19 free” suffered a setback today when two more persons, having travel history, tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of active positive cases in the Union Territory (UT) to four.

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‘148 Covid results received from NCDC’

A total of 148 number of Covid results received from the NCDC, New Delhi, with 121 sample reports of Leh and 27 sample reports of Kargil district. Two of them have tested positive for the virus. Rigzin Samphel, Commissioner-secretary (Health), Ladakh

A fresh case was reported from Kargil district which was recently declared Covid-19 free district after all four patients in Kargil recovered and were discharged from hospitals.

With two fresh cases, the total cases in Ladakh UT have reached 20, while 16 of them have recovered. The condition of the four active Covid-19 patients is stable.

According to the UT officials, Ladakh has reported one case from Bogdang in Nubra Valley of Leh district, some 150 km from Leh town, while another case was reported from Sankoo village of Kargil district. “A total of 148 number of Covid results received from the NCDC, New Delhi, with 121 sample reports of Leh and 27 sample reports of Kargil district. Two of them have tested positive for the virus,” Rigzin Samphel, Commissioner-Secretary (Health), Ladakh, told reporters in Leh.

“The positive case of Sankoo village had a travel history to Iran and had reached Delhi on February 26 and had further travelled to Leh from Delhi on March 3. The samples of all co-passengers will be collected and tested,” Samphel said, adding “The area of Sankoo is already under containment and contact tracing will be carried out following the procedure as per the protocol.”

The officer said the Bogdang (Gunisthang village) positive case had a travel history to Gujarat and had reached Chandigarh on February 2 and had reached Thoise of Nubra on March 9. Bogdang has also been declared containment zone.

“All 180 fellow passengers’ samples will be collected for testing and decision has been taken to collect 500 samples of the Bogdang area for testing,” he said, adding “Both positive patients have been shifted to the respective dedicated Covid-19 hospitals in Leh and Kargil. Their family members were also shifted to quarantine facility centres.”