The cases include a 45-day-old infant, his father and a 10-month-old baby, and nine healthcare workers — including three doctors. (Representational Image)
A one-and-a-half-month-old baby who was admitted to the pediatric ICU at Kalawati Saran Hospital and tested positive for COVID-19 died on Saturday, becoming the youngest casualty of the virus in the city so far.
This is the second government hospital in Delhi to report hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections. The cases include a 45-day-old infant, his father and a 10-month-old baby, and nine healthcare workers — including three doctors.
The first is the Delhi State Cancer Institute in Dilshad Garden, which has 31 positive cases, including 22 healthcare workers, three patients and other contacts of positive cases.
Attached to the Centre-run Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), the hospital, one of the biggest children’s hospital in Asia, has 24 patients admitted to the COVID-19 ward, of whom 21 have tested positive.
“The infant was admitted to the hospital with severe respiratory illness and was on ventilator support. On Saturday, he succumbed to the illness. The other baby is still on ventilator and is being monitored,” said a senior doctor from the hospital. Earlier this week, a resident doctor from the department of pediatrics tested positive. Soon, two more nurses who came in contact with the doctor contracted the virus. According to sources, six more children are admitted in the ICU with severe respiratory illness and are being treated at the hospital. The administration is working on a plan to sanitise the campus. Around 30 staff members of the hospital have been quarantined.
At Safdarjung Hospital, two doctors working in the gynaecology department tested positive. The hospital has begun contact tracing of doctors and healthcare workers who came in contact with them. At RML, four more nurses and a cleaner tested positive.
Three nursing officers at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital have tested positive. “All staff will now be tested. The patients have been admitted to the hospital,” said a senior doctor. So far, around 70 healthcare workers have tested positive for the disease.
Meanwhile, a Delhi Police constable, posted at Tilak Vihar police post in the West district, has tested positive. He has been quarantined and his family members and colleagues have been asked to isolate themselves at home.