Gujarat: 15-day-old infant dies of Covid-19 at Surat hospital

AHMEDABAD/SURAT: A 15-day-old baby girl, who was born to a COVID-19 patient, succumbed to the infection at a hospital in Gujarat's Surat city, an official said on Friday.

The infant was born with the infection on April 1, as her mother had also contracted the disease, said Dinesh Navadiya, the trustee of Diamond Hospital said.

While the child's mother was shifted to another hospital, the newborn was under intensive treatment and was also administered remdesivir injection when her condition started deteriorating, he said.

The baby, who was on ventilator support, breathed her last on Thursday night, Navadiya said. Former mayor of Surat Dr Jagdish Patel, who had recently recovered from COVID-19, donated his blood plasma for the infant's treatment, it was stated. "Our doctors tried their best to save the newborn. As per our knowledge, she was one of the youngest victims of coronavirus in Gujarat," Navadiya said.

On Wednesday, a 14-dayold boy from adjoining Tapi district, who had contracted the infection, died at Surat's new civil hospital.

According to doctors, unlike the first wave witnessed last year, more children are getting infected with coronavirus this time around.

"The infection rate of the new strain is higher than the previous strain. Hence, even children are contracting the disease this time, as the earning members of a household get infected first and then pass the virus on to other members of the family," Ahmedabadbased paediatrician, Dr Nishchal Bhatt said.

Surat city on Thursday registered 1,551 COVID-19 cases and 26 casualties.