Coronavirus cases in J-K rise to 494; death toll mounts to 6

One person died of COVID-19 infection in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, taking the number of fatalities to six as 40 new cases surfaced in the Union Territory, officials said here. This is the highest spike observed in a single day in the UT so far, they said, adding that the number of confirmed cases climbed to 494. This was also the first time in the UT that over 1,000 samples were tested within a span of 24 hours, the officials said.

"Finally, J&K breaks the 1,000-test barrier 1,071 samples tested in the last 24 hours. But that also means more positives. So 40 new cases today," government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said. All the fresh cases are from Kashmir, he said. Of the total 494 cases, 437 are in the Valley and 57 in Jammu region, Kansal said, adding that 109 patients have recovered so far. More than 65,000 people are under surveillance, including those who are either in government-established quarantine facilities or in-home isolation.

"To date, 65,722 travelers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which includes 6,162 persons in home-quarantine, including facilities operated by government, 260 in hospital quarantine, 340 in hospital isolation and 11,970 under home surveillance. Besides, 46,985 people have completed their surveillance period," the officials said.