A 65-year-old woman from Govandi, who died at NMMC Hospital in Vashi on Tuesday night, was found to have been COVID-19 positive late on Wednesday.
The woman, who had diabetes and high blood pressure, had visited a private hospital in Chembur, where doctors referred her to DY Patil Hospital in Navi Mumbai a week ago.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Annasaheb Misal said, “The woman was being treated at DY Patil Hospital for close to a week, and on Tuesday when her condition became serious, she was brought to NMMC Hospital. We took her samples to Kasturba Hospital to test for COVID-19. She died the same night, within four hours of her admission. She had high blood pressure, diabetes and pneumonia-like symptoms. On Wednesday night, we received the result saying that she had tested positive.”
Mr. Misal said DY Patil Hospital should have informed authorities about the patient’s condition, given the coronavirus outbreak.
“I have asked the medical officer of health of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to file a report after conducting inquiries with DY Patil Hospital.”
According to a source in the NMMC, the woman’s son-in-law had visited her from Dubai, after which she developed health issues and approached the Chembur hospital.
“Various theories are making the rounds, but we have not been able to get in touch with her relatives yet to understand her history,” NMMC chief medical officer Balasaheb Sonawane said.
A spokesperson from DY Patil Hospital, meanwhile, said the patient was referred to them by the hospital in Chembur. “Ideally, the information about the patient should have been passed on to the civic health department or Kasturba Hospital by the hospital under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. For reasons best known to them, they referred her to us instead. We [followed protocol] and referred her to Vashi NMMC Hospital.”
Two more cases
Meanwhile, the son and the house help of a 57-year-old patient from Vashi have also tested positive for COVID-19. The man, who tested positive on Tuesday, is the secretary of the mosque which the Philippines national who died had visited from March 10 to 12. “His wife and four helpers at the mosque have tested negative,” Mr. Sonawane said.
Currently, 423 people are under home quarantine and 82 under institutional quarantine at Sector 14 in Vashi.
