‘Only one patient died due to direct COVID attack in Kashmir’

SRINAGAR — Doctors in Kashmir have now started believing that out of nine deaths that occurred in the Valley, only one can be directly attributed to the lethal Coronavirus infection while rest of the patients died not only of Coronavirus but of other conditions-known in medical terminology as comorbidities.

Comorbidity in medical terminology means more than one disease or condition is present in the same person at the same time. Conditions described as comorbidities are often chronic or long-term conditions. Other names to describe comorbid conditions are coexisting or co-occurring conditions and sometimes also “multimorbidity” or “multiple chronic conditions.”

“You see, the patients who died so for in Jammu and Kashmir were suffering from comorbidity. In other words, we can say that these patients were comorbid, that is, they were suffering from multiple ailments besides being infected with Coronavirus. Some died due to Pneumonia, hypertension and heart ailment, but the death of young man from Srinagar at SMHS Hospital was not comorbid, but his death can be directly attributed to Coronavirus,” said a medico requesting not to quote him.

Pertinently, a 34-year-old man (name withheld) from Kralpora-Hawal locality of Srinagar died within hours at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital. Doctors were shocked to witness his death.

“After getting admitted in the hospital, he died in a short span of time and there is reason to believe that the cause of his death was only the Coronavirus and he was not comorbid. The patient had developed cytokine storm, an immune system response wherein the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues rather than just fighting off the virus,” the medico said.

Expressing shock over the death of the patient due to cytokine storm, renowned Pulmonologist and Head of Department, Chest Disease Hospital, Dr Naveed Shah tweeted: “Will send shivers across…. this is the danger, no comorbidities, no risk factors, and rapid deterioration. This is how dangerous it can be.”

Dr Naveed appealed authorities to restrict hospital visits and attendants in the hospital.

The Srinagar man, who was killed in cytokine storm, was infected after coming in contact with an attendant at Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) Shireen Bagh Srinagar where he was taking care of his ailing father.