Kashmir’s 1st victim ‘wasn’t screened’ at Srinagar airport

Ishfaq Tantry
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, March 27

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Evidence has emerged suggesting that Kashmir’s first coronavirus victim, 65-year-old religious preacher from Hyderpora, who died in a Srinagar hospital on Thursday, had developed symptoms way back in first week of March when he was travelling from Delhi to UP.

The evidence also suggests that he was not screened at the Srinagar airport on his arrival here on March 16 from Jammu. The government has already ordered a probe to look into the alleged mismanagement of the Covid victim by the hospital authorities in Srinagar as for as violation of the Covid protocol is concerned. As per the medical history recorded by the doctors at Covid clinic of SKIMS, which has been accessed by The Tribune, where he visited on March 21, the deceased had revealed his travel history to doctors.

As per the medical history recorded by the doctors at Covid clinic on his admit card, the Hyderpora man had developed Covid-like symptoms, fever, chest pain and dry cough on March 8 when he was travelling from Delhi to UP, where he visited Deoband. “He took medication, but was not relieved of the symptoms,” the doctors at the Covid Clinic-Emergency of SKIMS have noted down. The man died on March 26, exactly 20 days after his first symptoms appeared on March 8 when he came into contact with scores of people not only in Kashmir but in Delhi, Deoband and Jammu as well. In the advice note, SKIMS doctors wrote: “The patient was advised about home quarantine and also advised hygiene, (to) avoid social gatherings…”.

The note further adds that “they (the patient and his attending family member) want to talk to consultant for further management and advice”. Here, what is to be noted that the doctors at the SKIMS advised him to be home quarantined despite knowing that he had developed Covid symptoms and was a potential suspect.

On the other hand, sources revealed that soon after his arrival at the Srinagar airport from Jammu, he went to Sopore the same day and then to hospital there. “He was checked by a paediatrician there, who suspected him of Covid,” sources said.