65-yr-old in Srinagar dies of coronavirus, had travelled to Delhi, UP and Kashmir

The Srinagar resident had stayed in Delhi for almost a month and attended a religious congregation where people from other countries had also participated, officials say.

People stand at one meter distance in a queue while waiting to shop at a medical store, in Srinagar (Representational image) | ANI

Srinagar: The coronavirus outbreak in India claimed its first victim in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday morning. A 65-year-old man died of the disease in a Srinagar hospital, government officials confirmed.

The man was admitted to the Chest Disease (CD) Hospital last week where he was diagnosed with coronavirus and was being treated.

The deceased, according to the government officials, had a medical history of diabetes and hypertension that got amplified due to the virus, finally resulting in his death.

“The patient had an acute case of diabetes. There were other vulnerabilities resulting from his medical conditions, but diabetes was the primary one. His condition worsened last night,” said an official, who did not wish to be named.

Travel history

The man had travelled to New Delhi in February and stayed there for nearly a month to attend a global religious congregation that ended on 9 March.

A senior government official said the patient is suspected to have contracted the virus at the congregation since people from various countries, especially Indonesia and Malaysia, also participated in it.

From New Delhi, the deceased travelled to Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and finally to Kashmir, where he visited several areas in the northern parts of the Valley, between 9 and 22 March. At all three places, he had attended either a meeting or a function, the official said.

Four individuals who tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday had been in contact with the deceased.

“First death due to Coronavirus, 65-year-old male from Hyderpora Srinagar. Four of his contacts also tested positive yesterday,” said an official spokesperson of the J&K administration.

Another official said nearly 400 people, including his family members and doctors who treated him, had come in contact with the deceased, adding the authorities are yet to start monitoring them.

The Kashmir valley has reported eight cases of coronavirus so far. Doctors said one of them has been cured. Three cases have been reported from Jammu.

Possible negligence

The J&K administration has initiated an inquiry into possible negligence during the man’s treatment. According to officials, the man had first visited Sher-i-Kashmir Medical Sciences (SKIMS) college in Srinagar’s Bemina area. He was sent back home on 21 March.

However, the family claimed that the deceased did not hide his travel history and had informed the doctors who attended to him.

In a post on social media, a family member, who accompanied the man to Bemina on 18 March, said the deceased was not tested for Covid-19 on the day, or later on 21 March when they went back for a review. The family then took him to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, where he was referred to the CD hospital in Srinagar. The family alleges they are being victimised now by an administration looking to shift blame.

Senior officials at SKIMS Bemina did not respond to calls made by ThePrint.

Some officials had initially claimed the deceased had concealed his travel history. The administration, however, has sought an explanation from doctors at Bemina.

“We are trying to find out what happened at Bemina. The thing about this disease is that it has asymptomatic carriers. There is a chance that the patient while visiting Bemina had not developed all the symptoms. The disease might have been in progression at that time and overnight his situation deteriorated,” said a hospital source who did not want to be named.