GUWAHATI: The life of an eight-month-old infant from Arunachal Pradesh was cut short by Covid-19.
The baby boy had travelled over 420 km by road with his parents from Naharlagun in Arunachal to Meghalaya capital Shillong but died within hours after being admitted to a hospital.
Meghalaya Director of Health Services, Dr. Aman Warr, said the kid was referred to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong by the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh.
“Immediately after arrival on Monday morning, the baby was admitted to the hospital’s isolation ward as he was showing symptoms of Covid-19. But unfortunately, he died within hours. The result of his swab test, which came later, confirmed he was infected,” Warr said.
The kid’s parents and an attendant tested negative.
Meghalaya Health Minister AL Hek said the baby, who had other health complications, was admitted to the Shillong hospital in March but taken back home by his parents ahead of the nationwide lockdown.
This is the second Covid-19 death in Meghalaya. The state’s first victim was a doctor who died in April.
The state so far recorded 89 such cases. Forty-three people have already recovered.