28 CRPF personnel test COVID-19 positive, four deaths reported in India’s largest paramilitary force

Officials said the personnel were found infected during a contact-tracing exercise after the death of a 44-year-old coronavirus-infected constable on 6 June.

Srinagar: As many as 28 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel posted in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, officials said.

They said the personnel were found infected during a contact-tracing exercise after the death of a 44-year-old coronavirus-infected constable on June 6.

The officials said they had collected samples of 75 personnel from the 90th battalion where the deceased constable, a nursing assistant, was posted.

The reports of 28 of them returned positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, the officials said.

All the affected personnel have been isolated and other results are awaited, they said.

A further contact-tracing exercise has commenced, and the troops have been asked to immediately report if they feel any illness with COVID-19-like symptoms, a senior official said.

The battalion is situated at Uranhall in south Kashmir.

There have been four COVID-19 deaths in the country's largest paramilitary force having 3.25 lakh personnel.

It has 516 coronavirus cases till now out of which 353 personnel have recovered, as per latest data.

Seven other positive coronavirus cases were also reported from various other units of the force on Wednesday.

The number of confirmed cases has now reached 4,507 out of which 3,522 are in Kashmir, while 985 are in Jammu, the officials said.

There are 2,785 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in J&K — 2,073 in Kashmir and 712 in Jammu — and 1,671 (1,403 from Kashmir and 268 from Jammu) patients have recovered, according to officials.

The J&K has witnessed 51 COVID-19 deaths so far -- 46 from Kashmir, 5 from Jammu.