Two 65-year-old-women died on Thursday taking the death toll due to the novel coronavirus in Maharashtra to five. While one was a resident of Govandi, who died at a Navi Mumbai hospital, the other patient from Elphinstone, near Parel, succumbed at Kasturba Hospital.
The overall count of COVID-19 positive patients in the State has gone up to 130 with three people from Sangli, who are contacts of the first patient detected in Islampur, one from Kolhapur and one from Pune testing postive. One case each was also reported from Sindhudurg (its first), Nagpur and Mumbai.
According to civic health officials, the woman from Elphinstone reportedly ran a dabba service from her residence and many employees working at the nearby corporate offices also came to eat meals at her home. While she did not have any international or domestic travel history, officials have now traced nearly 10 contacts who came to her house to eat food or collect meal boxes. “She developed fever and cough and visited a local doctor but the medicines did not work. When she went to the doctor again, he referred her to Kasturba Hospital,” said one civic official. The woman had diabetes and hypertension and was admitted to Kasturba on March 23 where she tested positive for COVID-19.
All five deaths in the State have been reported from Mumbai and all victims are senior citizens.
On Thursday, Sindhudurg recorded a COVID-19 case. A 54-year-old Dombivali resident, who had travelled to Kankavli by Mangalore Express on March 19, tested positive. The Sindhudurg authorities were alerted by the Railways after they were informed that one passenger tested positive. “We have admitted all the nine travellers who alighted at Kankavli to the Civil Hospital in Oras,” said nodal officer Dr. S.H. Patil adding that the patient’s mother, a senior citizen, has tested negative.
The patient detected in Nagpur has a travel history to Delhi but there is no history of international travel as yet.
Meanwhile, two more patients were discharged from Kasturba Hospital on Thursday, taking the total number to 10.
