45-day-old is India’s youngest Covid victim

The baby had been admitted to the hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit soon after birth on developing the respiratory ailment.

A 45-day-old baby infected with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) died on Saturday at Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), making him the youngest person to die of the infection in the country.

Another 10-month-old child admitted to the same ward tested positive for the infection on Saturday evening, according to officials from the hospital. (HT file photo)

The baby had been admitted to the hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit soon after birth on developing the respiratory ailment.

“Soon after birth, the baby had developed a severe acute respiratory infection and was admitted to the paediatric ICU. As per protocol, a sample of the baby was collected for Covid-19. The report came back positive on Friday and the baby died on Saturday morning,” said an official of the hospital, on condition of anonymity.

Officials said the father of the baby tested positive for the infection on Saturday. But the authorities say it is still unclear how the baby was infected.

Another 10-month-old child admitted to the same ward tested positive for the infection on Saturday evening, according to officials from the hospital.

There were unconfirmed reports from the hospital that the baby had died on Friday before the test results came back.

The 377-bed Kalawati Saran Children’s hospital associated with LHMC is one of Asia’s biggest paediatric hospitals. The ward in which both the babies were admitted was not a Covid-19 designated ward. The hospital has a Covid-19 ward in another building, where 15 positive patients are admitted currently.

There were seven children on ventilator in the same ICU unit as the 45-day-old. After all of them tested negative and moved to another location in the hospital. Officials said the ICU has been sanitised.

After the Delhi State Cancer Institute, the paediatric ICU ward of Lady Hardinge Medical College has become a hotbed for Covid-19 infections, with at least nine staff members – doctors, nurses, and sanitation workers – from the ward testing positive for the infection.

One of these resident doctors tested positive on Sunday morning.

“Initially, one of the resident doctors working in the paediatric ICU had gotten himself tested and the report turned out to be positive. After that, the surveillance teams traced the contacts of the doctors. Yesterday, two nurses tested positive and today five others have tested positive for the infection,” said a doctor from the hospital, on condition of anonymity.

At the Delhi State Cancer Institute, 25 healthcare workers had tested positive for the infection, resulting in a temporary shutdown of the hospital. The hospital will resume its out-patient clinic from Monday morning.

So far, at least 70 healthcare workers across the city have tested positive for the infection.

The authorities are still contact-tracing to decide who all should go into quarantine and get tested.

Another emerging hospital hotspot is Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, where four nurses tested positive for the infection on Saturday. Two doctors, four nurses and one member of the sanitation staff have tested positive from the hospital so far.

“At least 65 doctors who had come in contact with these hospital staff have been asked to go into quarantine. Apart from that, an ICU had to be shut down in the hospital and its staff quarantined. There will be more nurses and workers who might have been asked to remain in quarantine,” said a doctor from RML hospital.