Docs in Srinagar worried as 32-yr-old dies of ‘cytokine storm’

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar May 7

Death of a young man who contracted coronavirus while attending to his father in a hospital in Kashmir has shocked medical practitioners here.

Asif Mir, 32, of the Kralpora-Hawal locality of Srinagar died at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital within hours of developing cytokine storm - an immune system response wherein the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues rather than just fighting off the virus.

“He had no symptoms until Sunday. On Monday, he came with pneumonia and was sick. His condition deteriorated within hours and he died. We believe it has happened because of cytokine storm,” said Principal, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, Dr Samia Rashid - a well-known physician.

Mir was attending to his father at the Gastroenterology Department of the Super Specialty Hospital at Shireenbagh, Srinagar, since April 25.

A patient and an attendant had tested positive for coronavirus at the Super Specialty Hospital while as Mir’s father tested negative twice for the virus.

Mir died around 5 pm on Wednesday at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh. His body was, however, not released until 10:30 pm when his coronavirus test report came.

Being a high suspicion patient he was admitted to the COVID-19 isolation ward of the SMHS hospital.

Mir’s death has shocked the doctors, who said it has busted the myth that coronavirus could kill only elderly and people with co-morbidities.

“This is the first death which can be attributed exclusively to coronavirus. The other eight people who died of COVID-19 in J&K had co-morbidities,” said a physician at the GMC Srinagar.

Doctors say attendants in hospitals have to be more cautious than patients. “Attendants hurdle together and move around in hospitals which makes them vulnerable to coronavirus,” said the physician.

At the Super Speciality Hospital, at least 60 doctors and employees were tested for coronavirus after a female patient reported positive for the virus last week.

“All doctors, employees and attendants tested negative for the coronavirus,” said a doctor.

So far nine persons have died of COVID-19 in J&K and 775 have tested positive for the virus.