Meghalaya: Pregnant woman dies of COVID-19, 200 more new cases

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 4, 2020

Four more persons including a pregnant woman died due to COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the death toll in the state to 58, even as 200  new cases were detected, pushing the count to 2,209.

30-year-old Newsalin Iawpniaw, a resident of Mawsaw in South West Khasi Hills distrct, was diagnosed of uterine rupture with intra-uterine fetal death (IUFD) on being admitted at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) on October 2, Director of Health Services (MI), Dr Aman War said. 

“She was also found to be positive for COVID-19. Inspite of immediate intervention by the doctors at the hospital, she passed away at 7 am on October 3. The cause of death was due to cardiac arrhythmmia with post dated pregnancy with uterine rupture and IUFD, sepsis and COVID-19 status,” he said. 

Dr War informed another three patients – 80-year-old Mushi Dkhar of Mawbah, Kali Thapa (63) of Lapang and Ellia R Marak (58) from MES, Shillong – also succumbed to the viral infection at NEIGRIHMS hospital on Friday and Saturday respectively. 

Dkhar and Marak died due to refratory septic shock with multi organ dysfunction syndrome, COVID-19 pneumonia and type-II diabetes mellitus while Thapa due to type-I respiratory failure, acute exacerbation of COPD, COVID-19 status with hypertension. 

Of the 200 new cases, the senior medical officer informed that 126, including four doctors, were detected from East Khasi Hills district, 44 from Ri Bhoi district, 12 each from South West Khasi Hills district and West Khasi Hills district, 8 from West Jaintia Hills district, 6 from South West Garo Hills district and 1 from North Garo Hills district. 

He said the other health workers, who tested positive for the virus include one each from Ri Bhoi, South Garo Hils, South West Garo Hills, and South West Khasi Hills. 

On Saturday, the state had witnessed the highest single-day spike of over 400 positive cases. 

Asked, Dr War said that the reason for the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in the state is due to the failure of the people to strictly follow the protocols issued by the health department. According to him, people do not wear their mask and instead using it to cover their chins. 

“I request all citizens to strictly follow the protocols of wearing masks, hand hygiene and maintaining physical distance. We have to be responsible especially taking into consideration the fact that people with comorbidities hardly survive if infected,” he said. 

Out of the 74 recovered COVID-19 patients, Dr War said, 50 are from East Khasi Hills, 10 from West Garo Hills, 8 from East Jaintia Hills, 4 from North Garo Hills and 2 from Ri Bhoi.

He said 4,393 COVID-19 patients have been discharged as on date.

The state has detected a total of 6,660 COVID-19 out of which 2,209 are active cases, 4,393 recovered and 58 deaths.

East Khasi Hills district tops the list of districts in positive cases with 1,618 infections, that include 73 Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces and 1,545 civilians, followed by Ri Bhoi 225 and West Garo Hills 195.

In the other districts, 33 cases are in East Jaintia Hills, 36 in South West Garo Hills, 24 in North Garo Hills, 28 in West Jaintia Hills, 14 in East Garo Hills, 15 in South West Khasi Hills, 11 in West Khasi Hills, and 10 in South Garo Hills.