A 66-year-old man and his wife (60) died of Covid-19 within an hour of each other in Nagpur on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
Their 39-year-old son, who also tested positive, has been hospitalised.
On Wednesday, their 33-year-old daughter-in-law, and 14-year-old grand-daughter also tested positive, and both have been quarantined. The only member in the family to have tested negative is their four-year-old grandson.
On Monday, the 66-year old man started feeling uneasy. He was taken to a private hospital, where his condition kept deteriorating. He underwent a Covid-19 test, which was positive. His wife and son were also tested.
“Late at night, his wife also started feeling uneasy but before she could be shifted to the hospital, she died. About 15-20 minutes after her death, the family got a call from the private hospital, who told them the 66-year old man had also died,” said senior BJP leader and family friend Chotu Bhoyar.
Bhoyar added, “Around 3.30 am on Tuesday, the reports of mother-son duo also came positive. So, we admitted the son to the Government Medical College and Hospital. The couple’s funeral had to be conducted by municipal staffers on Tuesday afternoon.”
Bhoyar said both the deceased were severely hypertensive and diabetic.
Subsequently, all the families in the apartment scheme where the family lives were also tested, and one person, who tested positive, had to be hospitalised.
“The couple’s son is asymptomatic and is under treatment at GMCH. His four-year old son tested negative, but his 14-year old daughter and 33-year old wife have tested positive and have been quarantined,” Bhoyar said.
Bhoyar accused the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) of “complete mismanagement” of the crisis, saying, “After the woman’s death, they didn’t even wrap her body for many hours. The other person from the apartment scheme had to wait for four hours before he could get a bed in GMCH.”
The number of Covid-19 cases in Nagpur has been growing at a fast rate, with 144 and 122 cases reported on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The district saw six deaths due to Covid-19 on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 61. The total number of cases has reached 3,293.
Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has warned that he might impose another 15-day lockdown in the city.
 died of Covid-19 within an hour of each other in Nagpur on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.){kind=link}