A 21-year-old COVID-19 patient with severe diabetes died due to “comorbidities” at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa on Saturday, according to the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). The young man had been admitted on Thursday with diabetes-related complications and tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night.
Hospital superintendent Dr Aniruddha Malgaonkar said the patient’s death was linked to his underlying condition. The hospital currently has a 19-bed COVID-19 ward equipped with RT-PCR testing facilities.
In its latest update, the TMC reported eight new COVID-19 cases in the city, bringing the total number of active cases to 18. Of these, only one patient is hospitalised while the rest are under home isolation, all in stable condition.
A high-level review meeting was conducted on Friday to assess preparedness. “A sufficient stock of medicines has been maintained at all health centres and COVID-19 testing kits are readily available,” said Dr Chetna Nitil, Chief Medical Officer. Reassuring residents, the municipal corporation emphasised that the situation remains under control and urged citizens not to panic.
In a separate development, a 55-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Noida has tested positive for COVID-19, marking the region’s first confirmed case in the current wave. She had recently travelled by train, as per the Chief Medical Officer of Gautam Buddha Nagar.
What are doctors saying about the new COVID variant?
Earlier, AIIMS Rishikesh had reported three COVID cases, adding to the recent surge in cases across the country. Speaking with ANI, Rishikesh AIIMS Director Meenu Singh informed that one of the three patients has already been discharged.
“Three COVID patients have been reported in the AIIMS… One has been discharged… Another patient is one of our residents. She has been kept in isolation. Another patient is from Gujarat who came here for the Badrinath Yatra,” Dr Meenu Singh said.
Dr Singh also mentioned that this variant of COVID is not very harmful, but people should be cautious.
“The state has kept us on alert. We have implemented COVID-appropriate behaviour in our institute… This variant is not very harmful, but if someone has any comorbidities… then they should get themselves checked,” she said.
Meanwhile, in view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in various parts of the country, the Delhi government has issued an advisory directing all hospitals to ensure preparedness for the availability of beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines.
However, according to the experts, the situation is under control.
Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant in Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said on Friday, “At the moment, the situation is under control. There are, at most, sporadic cases, which are also rare. Even the present cases are being managed very easily.” “They are not being hospitalised. This is what we were expecting: that when COVID happened, it would remain a seasonal flu which could be treated very easily. The situation is not one of panic…” he further said.
“We haven’t seen any hospitalised or ICU Covid-19 cases in the hospital. Only hype has been created, but there is no need to panic,” he said.
As of May 19, the number of active COVID-19 cases in India stands at 257. Almost all of these cases are mild, with no hospitalisation required.
(With inputs from agencies)