NEWBORN WHO TESTED +VE DIES AFTER SIX DAYS

PALGHAR: The infant girl, after battling for life for six days at Nashik Civil Hospital, succumbed on Saturday. The baby girl was a pre-mature, eightmonth born, and had tested positive for Covid in the rapid antigen test (RAT), while her RT-PCR report was negative. However, her mother had tested negative, in Palghar. The infant was born on May 31 in Kanta Maternity Hospital and weighed 1.5 kg.

Dr Pankaj Gajare, senior paediatrician of the Civil Hospital, Nashik. “She was put on a ventilator and kept in the neonatal ICU ward. She died on Saturday due to septicemia (infection of the blood), as her lungs, heart, liver and other vital organs were not developed fully.”

Dr Rajendra Chauhan, the gynaecologist in charge of the patient, said, “The baby girl tested positive in the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), while her mother was negative. We are unsure of the RAT as later her RT-PCR report was negative. The infant’s mother had hepatitis and high blood pressure. We suspect during her pregnancy, the immunity of the unborn child was compromised, and she gave a pre-term birth.” The mother was unable to feed her baby as the infant was admitted to the Civil Hospital at Nashik, and the baby was administered saline since her birth. The infant was first rushed to the Rural Hospital in Palghar and later shifted to the Government Cottage Hospital at Jawhar, in Palghar district. The infant was later shifted to Nashik.the mother, Ashwini Katela, resides in Darshet, Palghar and her husband, Ashok, is a daily wager.