In state’s first during current wave, 44-year-old Covid patient dies at Rims

Ranchi: A 44-year-old man, who tested positive for Covid-19, died of co-morbid conditions at the state-run Rims here, officials said on Tuesday. It is the first Covid-related casualty of the state in the current wave. Four new cases were also detected in Ranchi district during the day, taking the tally of the cases across the district to 12. As the state health department did not release any figures, there is no cumulative number of Covid cases for Jharkhand though the Union health ministry's Covid dashboard put the number of cases in the state to 6, an increase of two since Monday.The state detected its first Covid case of the current wave on May 24 this year when filmmaker Lal Vijay Shahdeo contracted the disease while returning from Mumbai.Talking about the death on Tuesday, Rims officials said the patient had multiple and severe co-morbid conditions. Doctors at the hospital said the exact cause of the death was refractory septic shock, a condition marked by circulatory failure and not respiratory failure, which is typically associated with Covid fatalities.He was referred to Rims from the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) on June 2 after experiencing a severe medical emergency.According to doctors, the patient suffered cardiac arrest after some food became lodged in his throat, leading to respiratory distress. He was administered CPR and later intubated before being transferred to Rims for ventilator support.A report of his medical examination said the patient was suffering from aspiration pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). He was placed on ventilator support in the trauma centre due to his critical condition. In addition to these complications, he was also battling several other pre-existing health issues. He tested positive for Covid on June 5 during routine testing of admitted patients.Both Rims authorities and Ranchi civil surgeon Dr Prabhat Kumar couldn't say whether the deceased has a past Covid history or not.Dr Kumar, remarked, "With the current rise in Covid cases and the unfortunate first death linked to a co-morbid patient, it is crucial for people to remain vigilant and there is no panic. Our focus is on managing this situation with care and emphasizing the importance of safety measures."