‘Fatality rate at just over 1 per cent in UT’
SRINAGAR: The COVID-19 death rate in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is only 1.07 percent which is below than the national average of India, with medical experts stating that over 90 percent positive patients have recovered so far while elderly with co-morbid medical conditions have died so far.
The medical experts predict that the Coronavirus has behaved very mildly in entire Jammu and Kashmir with over 90 percent of people recovering from it and stated that Kashmir is already exposed to lot many viruses that have developed antibodies and are giving cross protection.
Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr. Nisar Ul Hassan, associate professor medicine GMC Srinagar and also the renowned flu expert in Jammu and Kashmir said that this coronavirus has behaved very mildly as over 90 percent of infected people have recovered so far and only 1.07 people have died which is below than national average.
He said this virus has hit hard in Europe and young people have died but in Jammu and Kashmir it has behaved very mildly to the extent that 96 to 97 percent people are asymptomatic or very mild infection.
“None of the patient across J&K is on ventilator support and only elderly and people with co-morbid medical conditions have died because their immune was already weak and any virus can attack them and kill. But very few people here had severe infection,” he said.
Dr Nisar said that this virus is behaving very mildly even now death rate is very low as compared to national death rate. “This COVID-19 behaves differently at different places, behaves differently with people and even communities,” he said.
He said the reason for the lower fatality rate is possibly because it has something to do with the biology of Kashmiris or Kashmiris are already exposed to a lot of viruses including coronavirus.
“Probably that’s why we might have developed antibodies against these viruses those other than Corona-virus and it’s giving cross protection.”
There will be rise and more people will get infected but we have seen the number of samples drawn reported very low positive rate and lesser the death rate with most number of recoveries, Dr. Nisar observed.
He said that by virtue of that it is safe to conclude that this is very mild disease even if people get it they will have mild infection which is good because they will be getting immunity for other population also.