Jammu Tawi, July 19: Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir, former chief minister Omar Abdullah alleged that black-marketing of drugs, meant for coronavirus patients, was taking place in the union territory.
“This medicine is unavailable at regular rates & reportedly a regular dose cost Rs 6000 is being sold on the black market for Rs 36,000. Can someone in the administration please organise supplies of #Remdesivir without people having to struggle for it”, Omar tweeted while responding to the patient, who had appealed for the arrangement of the medicine for his ailing father.\
Claimed to be beneficial for COVID-19 patients, companies have fixed prices of Remdesivir for less than Rs 5,000.
J&K is witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases as the number of patients crossed the 13,000-mark on Saturday evening.
Since Saturday evening, six more patients have died in J&K, taking the COVID-19 toll to 242. Five patients lost their lives in Kashmir Valley while one died in Rajouri district of Jammu province.
“Sad to inform, second COVID-19 death from the district. A female from Darhal tested +Ve a few days back and has expired at GMC Jammu early morning today. Deeply sorry for the loss. My heartfelt condolences & sympathies with the family”, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Thakur Sher Singh tweeted.
“7 more reported +Ve. 3 Travellers & in Quarantine. 4 others from town, 3 primary contacts of positive cases of red zone & 1 primary contact of a positive case of non-red zone”, he tweeted.
