A critically ill female patient from Anantnag who had tested positive for COVID19 four days ago died at SKIMS late Tuesday night, taking the toll of viral illness in J&K to 18.
Dr Farooq Jan, medical superintendent SKIMS, said the 40-year old patient was admitted with necrotising pancreatitis. Dr Jan said necrotising pancreatitis is a life threatening disease where part of pancreas becomes infected and dead. “It has a very high mortality,” he said. He said the deceased patient had remained critical throughout her stay at the hospital spanning nearly 40 days. “She passed away around 11 pm on Tuesday,” he said.
The patient had been tested routinely as she was to undergo a procedure. Her novel coronavirus infection had caught the hospital authorities and her treating doctors unawares and necessitated quarantine of 40 healthcare workers, including doctors. All healthcare workers tested negative for the infection.
The mortality attributed to COVID19 has increased in the past week in Kashmir where six positive people have died since 17 May. The death toll has reached 18 in J&K – 12 in Kashmir and two in Jammu.
Although doctors said all these patients suffered from other life threatening illnesses, the deaths have steepened the mortality graph of the viral illness.
On 17 May, a 29 year old Srinagar woman died at CD Hospital, she was suffering from Ludwig’s Angina and had tested positive during her stay at SMHS Hospital. A day later, three people died at CD Hospital after they were shifted from SMHS Hospital following confirmation of their viral infection. They were suffering from stroke, brain haemorrhage and cancer.
However, the viral infection also claimed a young 34-year old Srinagar man without any co-morbid condition. A pregnant woman has also died due to COVID19 in Kashmir.