Jharkhand: Six people from same family die of COVID-19; five sons succumb to coronavirus one-by-one after mother

In what comes as an alarming report, six members of the same family in Jharkhand's Dhanbad all passed away from the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19), raising dread and apprehension in the locality. The Dhanbad district administration has now sealed all border areas and issued alerts asking to avoid unnecessary visits to the city.

On to more details of the case, the novel coronavirus had made inroads into the family when the eldest member, an 88-year-old woman, had died of COVID-19 nearly a fortnight ago. However, the bizarre part came later, when one by one, her five children succumbed to the virus, with the latest victim being the fifth son.

He died on Sunday night at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, after contracting the coronavirus from his mother. Earlier this month, four other sons of the 88-year-old woman succumbed to the deadly virus creating a wave of shock in the entire area.

The fifth son was earlier admitted to PMCH of Dhanbad but shifted to the RIMS after his health deteriorated. Earlier, his brother also died in RIMS due to the COVID-19.

The 88-year-old woman succumbed to the virus at a nursing home in Bokaro. The old lady got infected after attending a wedding of a relative in Delhi. After returning from Delhi, she died on July 4 during treatment and was cremated without any protocol, as her report came only came after her funeral, and the family was shocked to know about her being coronavirus positive. 

Since then, five out of six sons of the woman have died due to the coronavirus one by one in the last 16 days.

Dr. Brijesh Mishra, Nodal officer of RIMS, who treats COVID-19, infected patients, said that doctors pour their heart and soul while treating a patient. This shocking news has affected doctors and has also sent a message to society that coronavirus is a deadly disease and it needs to be avoided, he added. 

Dr. Devesh of the COVID Department of RIMS said that coronavirus infection has its effect on physical health as well as on society. Senior nurse Ramrekha Rai of the COVID ward in RIMS is also a sad moment on this development. She feels that despite their dedicated services, they could not save the members of this family.

The fifth son (the sixth member of the family) died on Monday in the COVID ward of RIMS. Dhanbad Civil Surgeon Dr. Gopal Das told Zee Media that six members of a family from Katras have died so far and the two other members recuperating at the COVID Hospital are in a better condition. He added that the other members also had other diseases and they all were above 60 years of age.

The Dhanbad district administration has sealed the entire Katras area. The people living there are scared and they have urged the state government to provide an ex-gratia to the victim's family besides embarking upon a massive COVID-19 test drive in the area to contain the spread of the deadly virus.