Kozhikode: A four-month-old baby girl, who had tested positive for COVID-19 and suffering from congenital heart disease, died in a hospital here early Friday. She suffered cardiac arrest, officials said. This is the third COVID-19 death and the first infant fatality Kerala where two elderly people had succumbed to the disease earlier.
The baby was admitted to the Medical College Hospital here April 21 with history of fever, cough, breathing difficulties and seizure after being treated at two other hospitals and the end came at 6.000am, a medical bulletin said.
State Health Minister KK Shailaja said doctors had made maximum efforts to save the life of the child, whose family belonged to Payyanad near Manjeri in Malappuram district.
“Preliminary information which we have is that there has been some primary contact,” Shailaja told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. The protocol for COVID-19 cases would be followed for the baby’s last rites, the Minister added.
As of Thursday, the total active COVID-19 cases in Kerala stood at 129.
The medical bulletin said on arrival at the hospital Tuesday the baby was in shock and had respiratory failure.
“She was resuscitated, mechanically ventilated and appropriate antibiotics for pneumonia and supportive measures to correct shock were started. The baby however, continued to remain sickm,” the bulletin said.
“Even though there was no history of any high or low risk contact or any epidemiological links as the child comes from SARI (Sever Acute Respiratory Infection) criteria, she was admitted to the COVID-ICU and swab was taken and she tested positive,” it added.
Contact tracing of those who had come in contact with the child was in progress.
PTI
