COVID19 +ve patient from Hailakandi is no more; First death due to Coronavirus in Assam

On April 6, 2020, a 65-year-old resident of Hailakandi district was rushed to Silchar Medical College and Hospital. Today he breathed his last in Silchar.

Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed about the sad demise on his twitter handle. He posted, “With utmost Grief and sorrow, I would like to inform that Sri Faijul Haque Barbhyan,(65)Hailakandi District has expired few minutes back in SMCH due to complication of COVID19. My deep condolences and prayers for the bereaved family.”

During the day, Health Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that “The condition of the 28th case (from Hailakandi) of COVID-19 from Assam is alarming. Though his other parameters are stable his oxygen saturation is decreasing. Shifting to ICU of SMCH for better monitoring.”

Health authorities briefed that the patient, who was taken from the Borjurai village near Hailakandi town to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital following his swab sample tested positive on Tuesday night, developed pneumonia and his condition deteriorated. He has been shifted to ICU in the afternoon on Thursday.

Silchar MP, Rajdeep Roy had posted on social media that the Hailkandi resident has travel history to Jeddah, Mumbai and Delhi. He had returned to Hailakandi on March 18, 2020. Giving an update on the Hailakandi resident’s medical condition, Roy wrote, “Patient stable presently and being shifted to SMCH.”

As per available information, he had recently visited Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah Hajj. He had also visited the meeting organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Delhi. Out of 28 positive cases in Assam, 27 of them had a direct association with the meeting in Nizamuddin.

Meanwhile, IDSP team shifted five members of his family to a quarantine centre in Hailakandi. Swab samples have been sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital, and the results of which are awaited. The entire village having one km radius with a population of over 1,500 has been declared a containment zone with entry and exit of people and vehicles been prohibited barring essential and emergency services.

Door-to-door surveillance is going on in the containment zone and contact tracing of persons with whom the COVID-19 infected person came in contact with is on. 35 persons have been identified so far.

Sanitisation of his village is also being carried out by the Fire and Emergency Services around the house of the infected person, approach road and 100 m surrounding area.