Father, son succumb to Covid-19 in span of 24 hours in Odisha

BERHAMPUR: A pall of gloom descended on Rayagada town after yet another family lost two of its members to Covid-19 in a span of 24 hours. Ch Kumar Swamy (65), a local gold merchant, his 24-year-old son Sudhir and younger daughter-in-law had tested positive for the virus on May 23 and were admitted to a private hospital in Visakhapatnam.

Earlier, Swamy’s wife and younger son had also tested positive but they recovered and returned home after  treatment. Later, the other three members were found infected and then hospitalised when their conditions deteriorated. But after battling the virus for a week, Swamy succumbed on Monday. Even before the family could come to terms with their loss, Sudhir breathed his last within 24 hours on Tuesday. Sources said Swamy, who owns a jewellery shop in the town, had taken both doses of Covid vaccination.