Another COVID-19 patient dies in Himachal Pradesh; toll reaches 8

Another COVID-19 patient died in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, raising the toll due to the disease in the state to eight. A 57-year-old man from Kangra district succumbed to the virus at Nerchowk Medical College in Mandi district, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati.

A resident of Kangra's Bhawarna village in Palampur tehsil, he was diabetic and also suffering from chronic renal disease, Prajapati added. The man was shifted to Nerchowk Medical College in Mandi from Kangra district for dialysis on June 23, where he died during treatment on Thursday, he said.

The man had come back to Kangra district from Delhi on June 20 and was institutionally quarantined at Parour. Later he was shifted to a dedicated COVID health centre at Dharamshala as he turned symptomatic on June 22. Subsequently, he tested positive on June 23, the official added.

The total number of deaths due to the novel coronavirus in the state has now reached eight. The deceased include a 70-year-old woman from Delhi, who had been staying at a factory's guest house in Baddi in HP's Solan district since March 15. She had tested positive for coronavirus in PGIMER Chandigarh on April 2 and died there.

The Himachal Pradesh Health Department initially mentioned the woman's death in its record but later stopped including her death in its record on the plea that as per protocol, the death should be included in Chandigarh as she tested positive there. On the contrary, the Chandigarh authorities said that her death should be included in the Himachal Pradesh record book as she was referred from a state hospital for treatment.

One more person tested positive for novel coronavirus in Hamirpur district on Thursday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 808. Two patients -- one each in Solan and Chamba -- recovered from the infection on Thursday, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.

So far, 468 people have recovered, while 11 COVID-19 patients have migrated out of the state, he said. The state has now 319 active cases.

Hamirpur has the maximum number of active COVID-19 cases in the state at 107, followed by 87 in Kangra, 38 in Solan, 29 in Una, 18 in Shimla, 15 in Bilaspur, 13 in Chamba, 10 in Sirmaur, one each in Mandi and Kullu.

(Photo Credit: PTI)