69-yr-old Shimlapuri woman is second casualty from city

Mehak Jain | Apr 6, 2020, 04:22 IST

Ludhiana: A 69-year-old woman from Shimlapuri with no contact history with a Covid-19 patient became the second casualty in Ludhiana on Sunday, a day when the number of confirmed cases in the district rose to six.
The woman was admitted to Fortis Hospital here at 10.09pm on March 31 and she breathed her last in its isolation ward at 2.30pm on Sunday. She had tested positive on April 2. She had stayed with her niece in Mohali from March 17 to March 31 and had commuted there by a bus. However, she had started showing symptoms of cough and breathlessness from March 23. Eight days later, she took an ambulance from Mohali all alone and got herself admitted to Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana.
Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said the condition of the woman deteriorated around 2pm. She had a cardiac arrest and passed away at 2.30pm after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Fortis Hospital medical superintendent Dr Shelly Deora told the TOI, “We could not revive her after cardiac arrest.”
The woman’s daughter-in-law said, “She was fine when she was admitted on March 31. Then she had diarrhoea, but was having proper meals till April 1. But on April 2, she developed acute respiratory issues and was put on a non-invasive ventilator. However, in the past two days her health deteriorated and she was put on a ventilator.”
Ludhiana health authorities have sealed her locality in the densely-populated Shimlapuri. “No one is coming forward to claim her body due to fear psychosis,” said sources in health department.
Dr Shelly said, “I called up the additional deputy commissioner, the sub-divisional magistrate, SHOs and the health department. They said we have to take the body to the cremation ground. It’s been more than three hours that the body has been sanitised and zipped up, but family is not ready to come to the cremation ground.”
SDM (west) Amrinder Singh Malhi said, “We are coordinating and have tied up with nodal officer Dr Ramesh Bhagat. Her relatives are in panic and do not want to attend the cremation. We will help the family in cremating the body with the support of police officials.”
However, a member of her family said, “We do not know how the body will be taken to the cremation ground.”
Later, she was cremated at a ground in Dana Mandi.
Earlier, a 42-year-old woman from Amarpura Mohalla was referred to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, on March 30 and she died the next day. The body was sent to Ludhiana in accordance with health department guidelines.
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Tracking the cases
Suspected cases till date | 329
Samples sent on Sunday | 51
Positive cases till date | 6 (5 from Ludhiana and 1 from Jalandhar)
Deaths reported | 2
Patients who tested negative till date | 270
Results awaited | 51
Patients screened on Sunday | 334
Home quarantined on Sunday | 164