Four journalists home-quarantined after interviewing kin of 6-month-old COVID-19 victim

Four journalists were home-quarantined here on Thursday after they met and interviewed the uncle of a six-month-old girl who died of COVID-19 at the PGIMER, Chandigarh earlier in the day.

The development was confirmed by Johal Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gurwinder Singh and Phagwara s Civil Hospital Superintending Meical Officer, Dr Kamal Kishore.

The uncle had already been quarantined at his home in local industrial area as he had come in close contact with his niece who had shuttled between Phagwara, Jalandhar and Ludhiana hospitals for over a month before landing at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh on April 9.

She had congenital heart defect and was to be operated for it.

But she developed infection and was later tested corona positive on Tuesday and died at PGIMER on Thursday.

The deceased baby's father said they had spent about Rs 7 lakh on her treatment, but all in vain.

Hailing from Nepal, the COVID-19 victim's father is a machine operator in a local valve factory. He has been living in Phgwarafor the last 10 years.

He said that arranged money from his in-laws, kins, factory owner and sold whole jewellery of his wife for footing the hospitals' bills and to save his daughter but could not succeed.

The girl was cremated at Chandigarh itself.