The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in J&K has gone after a sexagenarian lawyer died at a hospital in Jammu, officials said on Monday.Dr Ravinder Ratanpal, Medical Superintendent ASCOMS Sidhra, told news agency GNS that the samples of the 63-year-old lawyer, a resident of Trikuta Nagar, tested positive after his death at the hospital. The samples, he said, were taken few days ago and they were found positive for Covid-19. The patient had comorbities and died yesterday, added Dr Ratanpal. He said that the body is being handed over to the family after completion of all formalities under Covid-19 management.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 23 in Jammu and Kashmir as swab sample reports of an elderly woman from Kulgam district of south Kashmir, who died couple of days ago, returned positive on Monday.

“A 65-year-old lady from Bugam Kulgam was admitted in SMHS Hospital Srinagar on 22-5-2020 with bilateral pneumonia. She died next day and her body was kept in mortuary of GMC Srinagar. Her reports came today and she tested positive for COVID-19,” Dr Salim Khan, nodal officer covid-19 control measures at GMC Srinagar, told GNS. He said the district administration Kulgam has been informed accordingly.

CMO Kulgam Dr Fazil Kochak told GNS the woman was admitted to SMHS hospital and had visited the facility on her won. “She was not a referred patient,” he said.

With the fatality, the death toll due to the virus has gone upto 3 in Kulgam and overall 23 in J&K. So far Srinagar district has highest number of the fatalities—6 followed by Anantnag and Baramulla with four deaths, Kulgam 3 while Budgam and Jammu have two each and one death each has been reported from Bandipora and Udhampur