55-year-old who died two days ago is Bihar's 8th COVID-19 fatality: Official

The test report of a 55-year-old migrant worker, who fell ill upon return to Bihar from Mumbai and died before his sample was collected, came COVID-19 positive, taking the death toll in the state to eight, a top official said here on Sunday.

Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, said the migrant workers, who was diabetic, had breathed his last early on May 15 after suffering 'cardiopulmonary arrest' at a hospital in Khagaria district, where he was admitted upon developing respiratory problems.

"Soon after his death, his sample along with that of his wife was collected and both tested positive on Saturday. He goes into records as the eighth COVID 19 death in Bihar," Kumar said.

The man had come, along with wife and a grandson, from Mumbai on May 13 by a 'Shramik Special' train that pulled up at Saharsa. They then took a bus ride to reach Khagaria by evening.

The 55-year-old, however, fell ill the very next day upon which he was rushed to a referral hospital from a quarantine centre by a medical team on duty.

"By night, he began to show signs of recovery. But the following day, at around 4.30 am, he died," the principal secretary of the health department said.

This is the second instance in Bihar, where the test report confirming that a person had contracted the viral disease arrived after his death.

Two months ago, a resident of Munger district, admitted to AIIMS in Patna for renal failure, had his samples collected while he was alive but died before test reports came confirming that he had the disease.

Other than Munger and Khagaria, two COVID-19 deaths have been reported so far from Patna, and one each from East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Vaishali and Rohtas districts.