Two more AJK ministers, Ch. Tariq Farooq, Mushtaq Minhas contract coronavirus 37 new COVID-19 cases reported from AJK

Altaf Hamid Rao;
MIRPUR, (Parliament Times): With the advent of summer the Coronavirus appears to be spreading quickly in highly sensitive places as after Minister for Disaster Management Authority Ahmad Raza Qadri, Senior Minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq and Information Minister Mushtaq Minhas have contracted coronavirus.
According to details both the ministers holding key portfolios in the government of Azad Kashmir have gone into isolation after being tested positive for the virus. The duo will not be able to attend the budget meeting. As per the data provided by the ministry of health, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed a total of 15 lives across the state so far, whereas 37 new positive cases of coronavirus have been registered during the last 24 hours raising the tally to 740 in the State. The official statement released to the media on Wednesday evening on the updated situation of pandemic in AJK by the State Health Services authorities confirmed the registration of 37 new cases in AJK – which include 20 patients in Muzaffarabad, 11 in Mirpur , 2 in Rawalakot and one each in Bagh, Hattiyan Bala, Bhimbher and Kotli Districts. The 15 of the ill-fated persons lost lives due to the pandemic in AJK so far include 07 in Muzaffarabad district, 03 in Mirpur. 02 in Bagh and one each in Rawalkot, Palandri and Bagh districts. At present a total of 423 patients tested positive, were receiving treatment in various state-controlled health facilities / home isolation centers at present in various parts of the AJK state, the health authorities said. These patients included 256 housed in home isolations and 167 admitted in various the state-run hospital in different parts of Azad Jammu Kshmir

At the same time, after the complete recovery 12 more patients were discharged from the health facilities at various parts of AJK on Wednesday – raising the total number of the patients discharged so far across AJK to 302 , the AJK Health authorities disclosed. A total of 425 new cases suspected of the pandemic, were tested in entire Azad Jammu Kashmir on Wednesday. According to the Health Authorities a total of 12149 suspected cases from various parts of the State were sent for test, of which the results of 12099 had been received with 740 positive cases in the State.

Out of the total of 740 corona virus positive cases, 302 were fully recovered and discharged from different health facilities and the state-run isolation centers in various parts of the state by Wedneday, the authorities said. At the same time AJK Health authorities said in a statement late Wednesday a total of 10887 persons were tested negative for COVID-19 while results of 53 cases are awaited which were scheduled to reach in a day or two next. A total of 58 Quarantine centers are constantly engaged in serving the pandemic-hit suspects for their recovery in all ten districts of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

Capacity- building training in infection, prevention and control hs been launched in all state-run isolation centers in Azad Jammu Kashmir with the coordination of the World Health Organization, the health authorities said. District Rapid Response teams with the coordination of the State Health Department mobile medicos were continuing the screening of all new entrants at all 07 entry / exit points in AJK including Gujrat-Bhimbher entry point besides Mangla, Dadayal, Holar, Azad Pattan, Kohala and Garhi Habib Ullah, according to the AJK Health Authorities.