Tragedy strikes Punjab family twice in a fortnight

Sukhwinder Singh is survived by his wife, who is seven-month pregnant, and a five-year-old daughter

Tragedy struck a family in Kharar’s Sunny Enclave twice after a 40-year-old man died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, just 16 days after his mother had succumbed to the disease.

Inderjit Kaur , 67, and her son Sukhwinder Singh, 40 died of Covid-19

Identified as Sukhwinder Singh, he is survived by his wife, who is seven-month pregnant, and a five-year-old daughter. His father, too, had died of heart attack six years ago.

The mother, Inderjit Kaur, 67, suffered from both diabetes and hypertension and was admitted to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala after complaining of stomach ache. On being sampled for Covid-19, she tested positive and died at the hospital on August 23.

Sukhwinder, who was a local trader, was admitted to the Sohana hospital in Mohali around the same time after experiencing problem in breathing. A hypertension patient, he too tested positive and despite undergoing several minor operations, he could not survive.

Dr Manjit Singh, civil surgeon, Mohali, said: “It’s really sad a family lost its two members to Covid. Both patients had comorbidities. We have cremated the man as per health protocol.”

“We never took this virus seriously, but when samples of our family members were taken, we got a little worried. The deaths, one after the other, have come as a shock,” said Harpreet Singh, Sukhwinder’s cousin.

He said Sukhwinder and his wife had adopted a daughter five years ago, and now for the first time in 18 years of their marriage, the wife had conceived. “They have lost everything. I don’t know how his wife and daughter would cope with it,” he said.