COVID-19: Two women die as toll rises to 5 in Himachal; cases rise to 217

Tribune News Service
Shimla, May 25

Two women COVID-19 patients both suffering from chronic kidney disease died on Monday, taking the total number of persons who have succumbed to the virus in Himachal Pradesh to five, with there being a sharp spike in the number of cases to 217.

A Covid patient, Ashoka Rani, 63, native of Ratti village in Balh sub-division of Mandi, died at the Ner Chowk medical college.

She was under treatment for kidney ailment at the medical college since May 19 but her condition deteriorated today, following which she was put on a ventilator.

However, efforts to resuscitate her failed and she was declared dead at 4:15 pm.

Dr Devender Sharma, Senior Medical Superintendent of medical college Mandi, confirmed the death of the Covid patient. Her cremation will take place tomorrow.

Another 72-year-old woman died at Indira Gandhi Medical College late last night where she had been brought from Hamirpur for dialysis on May 23.

The woman, hailing from Dugha area in Hamirpur town, was a chronic renal failure patient and had returned with her husband from Jalandhar where they had gone for renal treatment.

Her husband had tested positive in Hamirpur and is under treatment at Bhota. Four family members of the woman have reached Shimla and her cremation will take place at Kanlog crematorium.

With this five Covid deaths have taken place in the state. A US-returned Tibetan being the first victim, followed by a 21-year-old man from Sarkaghat area in Mandi, also a chronic renal failure patient, had died at IGMC where he had been brought for dialysis.

The third corona death was that of a Delhi returned man from Sarkaghat who worked in a sweet shop in Delhi.

Now two women suffering from kidney ailment died today.

Besides this, three corona cases have been reported in Shimla. All the three youths, in their mid-twenties had returned from Mumbai on May 18 and belong to Chopal area.

They had been under institutional quarantine at Deha government rest house near Matiana. They will now be taken to either Mashobra or Pari Mahal as they are healthy and asymptomatic.

The number of cases in Himachal has now risen to 217, with three new cases in Shimla, six in Kangra, four in Chamba and one in Hamirpur.

The number of positive cases is likely to go up as two trains, from Mumbai and Ahmadabad have brought back about 1,500 natives of Himachal.

Their test reports are expected today and many of them are reported to be symptomatic.