J&K: 8 die of COVID-19 in 24 hrs; death toll rises to 72

She had tested COVID-19 positive and was suffering from hypertension and septicemia, officials said. Meanwhile, a 65-year-old COVID-19 positive man, who had returned from New Delhi with three family members, died at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu on Wednesday night.

Jammu and Kashmir reported eight COVID-19 related fatalities in 24 hours, taking the death toll in the Union Territory to 72, officials said on Thursday. While six of the deaths occurred in the Kashmir Valley, two people died in the Jammu region. Five deaths in the Valley were reported from SMHS hospital and one from the Chest Diseases hospital in Srinagar, they said.

The dead included a 70-year-old patient from Baramulla, a 65-year-old from Batamaloo and a 70-year-old from Budgam -- all of whom passed away on Wednesday night, the officials said. They said an 80-year-old man from Nawa Bazar area of Srinagar and a 65-year-old from Shopian passed away at the hospital on Thursday morning.

All of these patients were COVID-19 positive and had several comorbidities like hypertension, bilateral pneumonia and respiratory issues, they added. The sixth fatality from the Kashmir Valley was a 60-year-old woman from Shopian, who passed away at Chest Diseases hospital on Thursday evening. She had tested COVID-19 positive and was suffering from hypertension and septicemia, officials said.

Meanwhile, a 65-year-old COVID-19 positive man, who had returned from New Delhi with three family members, died at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu on Wednesday night. The family was in paid administrative quarantine at a hotel the officials said. They said a 68-year-old man belonging to Kote Garhi hamlet of Akhnoor tehsil too died at the GMC Jammu. He had tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital.