Rajasthan reports first Covid-19 death after 3 months

A two-year-old boy was referred from Chomu town of Jaipur district to a children’s hospital two days back

After three months, Rajasthan has reported the first death of Covid-19, a health official said on Thursday.

Image for representation. (File photo)

Chief medical and health officer Narrottam Sharma said a two-year-old boy was referred from Chomu town of Jaipur district to a children’s hospital two days back. He added the boy was found Covid-19 positive on Wednesday and was shifted to Rajasthan University of Health Sciences. He died the same evening.

Children are known to rarely fall seriously ill due to Covid-19 and related mortality among them is even rarer.

Sharma said the boy’s family is from Chhattisgarh and his father works as a labourer in Chomu. He added a team of doctors will be sent to Chomu on Friday to collect samples of the rest of the family. The sample of others who came in contact with the family will also be collected.

Rajasthan on Thursday reported 18 Covid-19 cases, taking the tally of active cases to 95. Jaipur reported a maximum--12 cases--followed by four in Ajmer and one each in Baran and Pali. There are 61 active cases in Jaipur, 19 in Ajmer, five in Barmer, three in Nagaur, and one each in Alwar, Baran, Bhilwara, Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, and Udaipur.

The state health department has issued special guidelines amid increasing cases. Health secretary Vaibhav Galaria said during the festive and ongoing wedding season, the protocols were being largely ignored and this has resulted in an increase in the number of cases. Authorities have directed officials to ensure testing, tracking, treatment, and vaccination.

Galaria said the officials have been asked to increase testing and to immediately isolate people who come in contact with those infected to ensure that the spread of infection can be stopped.