79 fresh cases, 2 deaths in Ladakh

Leh, November 22

Ladakh has recorded two more Covid deaths and 79 fresh cases, taking the fatality figure to 98 and the virus tally to 7,866, officials said on Sunday.

Both the deaths and new cases were reported from Leh district, which has witnessed a surge in cases over the past one month, the officials said, as a civil society group called for a voluntary week-long lockdown from Monday to break the chain.

The latest deaths took the virus toll in Ladakh to 98, 57 in Leh and 41 in Kargil district, they said, adding that 113 patients were discharged after successful treatment, taking the total number of recovered patients to 6,856, which is 87 per cent of the total cases.

Of the 912 active cases, the majority of 805 are undergoing treatment in Leh while rest of 107 are in Kargil district, the officials said.

“The lockdown is voluntarily supported by merchant associations, transporters and other stakeholders to prevent further spread of the virus,” Anjuman Moin-ul-Islam president Abdul Qayum, who was flanked by various religious heads, including Ladakh Bhuddist Association representative Tsewang, told reporters.

Tsewang said if people do not extend support to such a step to break the chain, the situation is likely to become uncontrollable during winter.

Meanwhile, J&K recorded 564 new Covid cases and five deaths. The infection tally in the UT has risen to 1,06,548 and the toll stands at 1,629. Of the fresh cases, 274 are from Jammu division and 290 from Kashmir division, they said. The officials said Jammu district recorded the highest of 121 cases, followed by 107 in Srinagar.

There are 5,700 active cases, while 99,219 patients have recovered so far, the officials said. The UT saw five Covid deaths. — PTI