KAKINADA/GUNTUR/VISAKHAPATNAM/KURNOOL/VIJAYAWADA: Amid the threat of the COVID-19 outbreak, a 38-year old woman who returned to the State from Dubai a few days ago breathed her last in the wee hours of Monday at the Government General Hospital in Kakinada. She died due to herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE), Dr Kiran, nodal officer for coronavirus at Kakinada GGH told TNIE, adding that her samples were sent to the VRDL at SVIMS in Tirupati, and she tested negative for COVID-19. Her death sent ripples across the port town, with people refusing to believe the hospital’s statement.
“She was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state and was suffering from high fever,” he further said. The woman flew from Dubai to Hyderabad on March 11, and then went to Machilipatnam in Krishna district by car to meet a friend. Two days later, she was taken to her native place Antarvedi, in East Godavari district, from where she was rushed to the Kakinada GGH in the early hours of Sunday.
“We found her platelet count very low. Considering that she arrived from Dubai and was running a fever, we sent her samples to be tested for COVID-19. We also took an MRI scan of her brain and she was diagnosed with HSE,” Dr Kiran said.
When asked if she was screened at Hyderabad and why she was not diagnosed there if she had a fever, the doctor said he was unaware of this. “All we know is when she was brought to the hospital, she was unconscious and had a high fever. She may have taken medication for fever when she landed at Hyderabad, but we can’t confirm this,” he said.
Hospital authorities are in a dilemma as to whether to perform a post-mortem examination as her relatives are reluctant to share her details including her medical history.
As the report of the woman’s death sent ripples across the port town, people got worried and refused to buy the report presented by the hospital. They asked how the authorities were not aware of her until she reached the hospital if everyone arriving from abroad was being tracked.
Kakinada GGH authorities said that as of 7 pm on March 15, there were no fresh cases of people suspected to have COVID-19 at the hospital.On the other hand, two people suspected to have COVID-19 were admitted to Fever Hospital in Guntur on Sunday night and kept in the isolation ward. Their samples were sent to SVIMS in Tirupati and the results came back negative.
According to Guntur DMHO Dr Y Jasmin, one of the two people suspected to have contracted the virus is a research scholar from Acharya Nagarjuna University. She arrived from Vietnam on February 19 and was staying in the varsity hostel. After suffering from cold and cough for three days, she was admitted to Fever Hospital on Sunday night. Another woman came to Guntur from Nepal on February 20 and she too was suffering from cold and cough for a few days. She was admitted to the hospital and kept under observation.
Guntur district Collector Samuel Anand said that there is no need to panic as there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the district. Two people suspected to be infected were admitted to Fever Hospital. He warned of stern action against people spreading rumours on social media.
Another person suspected to have COVID-19 was admitted to Kurnool Government General Hospital on Monday. The 27-year-old engineer returned from Germany on March 4 and had a cold and fever for a few days. He was initially admitted to a private hospital but officials shifted him to the isolation ward in Kurnool GGH and sent his samples to VRDL at Tirupati for testing.
Hospital superintendent Dr GS Ram Prasad said a young engineer did not report himself to authorities after his return. “We appeal to people arriving from abroad to report themselves to authorities and have themselves self-isolated for 14-days,” he said. With rumours spreading that a 26-year old of Pullampet in Kadapa district had COVID-19 symptoms, medical and health officials rushed him to hovernment hospital in Kadapa and kept him isolation ward.
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Unanswered questions
If she had a fever and was screened at the Hyderabad airport on arrival from Dubai, why wasn’t she quarantined?
If all those who arrive from abroad are being tracked, why weren’t officials aware of her until she was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state?