Homeless people at a make-shift government shelter home in Kolkata on Tuesday, the seventh day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown. (PTI)
The death of a 48-year-old woman afflicted by coronavirus in the general ward of a Howrah hospital on late Monday night led to panic with 29 hospital staff members being quarantined.
By late Tuesday night, two more coronavirus patients died – a 52-year-old man in Howrah and a 62-year-old man in Kolkata.
With three more deaths in the last 24 hours, the totak number of fatalities from coronavirus jumped to five in West Bengal where till Tuesday, 37 people have tested positive for the virus.
According to sources in the state health department, the woman, a resident of Salkia in Howrah, had gone on a family vacation to north Bengal with family and friends earlier this month. She returned to Howrah on March 13 and a week after she complained of fever. However, the family took her to a nearby government hospital nine days later on March 29, when she complained of respiratory problem.
The same day, health officials said, she was referred to Howrah General Hospital and admitted to general female ward.
“After her condition deteriorated on Monday evening, she was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital, and later in the night she died. After her death, her swab results came that showed that she was infected by coronavirus,” a health official on the condition of anonymity said, adding that the woman had no recent history of foreign travel.
“Today morning, some nurses and other hospital staff agitated after they came to know that the woman patient had tested positive for coronavirus. Since the patient was admitted in the general female ward and no necessary precaution and isolation were undertaken, they were angry at the hospital administration,” a staff member of the government hospital said.
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Sources in the state Health Department said that an investigation will be ordered into the lapses on the part of the hospital.
Following the test results, the district administration and health officials on Tuesday, put four of her family members under quarantine at Satyabala ID Hospital. “The 20-odd people who had accompanied her during the north Bengal trip have also been traced and kept under home quarantine. Apart from them, 29 nurses and paramedical staff of Howrah General Hospital have been quarantined – 14 at Belur Quarntine Centre and remaining 15 in their homes. The woman’s home and the hospital is also being sanitised,” said a health department official.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
Homeless people at a make-shift government shelter home in Kolkata on Tuesday, the seventh day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown. (PTI)
