A 65-year old Srinagar man who had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday passed away Thursday morning at Chest Diseases Hospital here, marking the first casualty to the outbreak of coronavirus in Jammu & Kashmir.
Principal Secretary to J&K Government Rohit Kansalannounced the death on Thursday morning. “Sad News: First death due toCoronavirus – 65 year old male from Hyderpora Srinagar,” he tweeted.
The man, who had been admitted to hospital on Saturday hadbeen critical with bilateral pneumonia. His condition, a doctor at the hospitalsaid, deteriorated on Wednesday and he breathed his last around 8 am. The body,he said, was handed over to the family in afternoon, as per the protocol forCOVID-19 casualties.
Dr S Saleem Khan, nodal officer for COVID-19 at GovernmentMedical College (GMC) Srinagar said the deceased man had co-morbidities and hadbeen “very sick”. “He had hypertension as well as diabetes and did not improvewith treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, J&K government initiated an inquiry into the allegedmishandling of this patient at SKIMS Medical College Hospital where the patienthad sought treatment on March 21, a day before he was admitted at ChestDiseases Hospital.
An order issued by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, PK Pole,has sought explanation from Medical Superintendent SKIMS Medical CollegeHospital (JVC) and Head of the department of Chest Medicine. The order hasasked them to explain why the patient was “given ample time to spread the virusby intermingling with relatives and public”. The patient, as per the document,had been listed as COVID-19 suspect and the same was not brought into thenotice of the administration. “He left the hospital without getting admitted,”reads the order.