A child has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH). On the other hand, another child admitted in the hospital with fever and shortness of breath has died, sources said.
The child from Bangitola area under the Mothabari police station in Malda died this morning, it is learnt. According to family sources, he had been suffering from fever, shortness of breath and cold for the past three or four days. “The child was later admitted to the MMCH and family members, including the mother of the child, broke down inconsolably on hearing the news of the death,” a family member said.
According to the Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal of the MMCH, Dr Puranjoy Saha, a total of 180 children have been admitted in the hospital so far and that the treatment for all of them is going on well.
“A three-member team of paediatricians has been formed to monitor their treatment. All the children who have died so far had come to the Medical College and Hospital in critical condition. One of the children has tested positive for Covid.
The baby was immediately transferred to another facility and family members took him away. As per the rules, we have informed the police about this matter,” Dr Saha said.
Amid the rising cases of illness among children in north Bengal and a few deaths, doctors at the MMCH have said that most of the deaths occurred because they did not get enough time to treat the patients as they were brought to the hospital only in the last stages.
Doctors across hospitals in the region have stressed on early detection of symptoms, early admission in hospitals and early referrals. Also, tests conducted on samples collected from the children have shows that the illness in most of the patients was caused by either the common respiratory syncytial virus (RSV ) or influenza-B.