86-year-old man is 10th Covid casualty in district

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 10

With the death of an 86-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 in the district here this morning, the number of casualties in the district has risen to 10. With four more positive cases today (including the deceased man), the total tally in Jalandhar has risen to 319.

The deceased man, a resident of Moti Nagar in Jalandhar, was taken to the IMA facility at Shahkot in Jalandhar but he died on the way, as per doctors. The last death that occurred in the district was on June 3 when a 64-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 breathed his last.

Dr Navjot Dahiya, president of the state chapter of the IMA, said: “The 86-year-old man had been receiving treatment at a private hospital where he was also tested positive for Covid-19. He was also taken to the local Civil Hospital, but the family decided to shift him to the IMA facility. He died within minutes of being brought to the IMA facility. He was gasping when he was brought in.”

The deceased had co-morbidities, including hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases, said Dr Dahiya.

Dr TP Singh, nodal officer, Covid-19, Jalandhar, said: “So far, no previous contact of the deceased has been established but the process to track and test his family members is on. He also had co-morbidities. He died while on the way to the IMA facility and as per the authorities there, he was brought dead.”

Of the four patients who tested positive today, the other three include a 46-year-old man with a travel history (he had returned from Delhi on May 31), a resident of Friends Colony; a 66-year-old man, a resident of Avtar Nagar and a contact of a previous patient, and a 64-year-old resident of New Vijay Nagar. Both 46 and 66 year old persons have been admitted to the CMC, Ludhiana, and the 64-year-old person had been admitted to the DMC, Ludhiana.

The 66-year-old man is also a lab technician at a private hospital.

Notably, a high-profile astrologer (50), died in the past week. His four family members had tested positive for Covid. As the deceased was not tested for Covid, he is not part of the official coronavirus tally in the district.