Srinagar, June 15: An 18-year-old covid-19 patient from Handwara area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district died at SMHS hospital here, officials said on Monday. The teenager is the youngest among the 61 persons who have succumbed to the virus in Jammu and Kashmir so far.
The teenager, who was admitted to the hospital as a “medico-legal case” with a serious head injury, died at 3 a.m., medical superintendent SMHS hospital, Dr Nazir Choudhary, said.
“He was admitted on June 12 as a medico-legal case. His swab sample (for the novel coronavirus) was taken next day. He had serious head injuries besides bilateral pneumonia,” Dr Choudhary said, adding, “later his sample returned positive for the virus.”
A medico-legal case involves injury or illness that is under investigation by law enforcement agencies to establish and fix the criminal responsibility according to the law.
The teenager is the youngest to die of the covid-19. Till his death, the youngest victim was a 27-year-old resident from Lolab area of the north Kashmir district who succumbed to the pathogen 13 days ago at the very hospital. The teenager’s death also takes the fatality count of Kupwara due to the virus to five.
So far, 61 people have succumbed to the virus in J&K—Seven from Jammu and 54 from Valley. Srinagar district with 15 deaths has the highest fatalities followed by Baramulla 11, Kulgam eight, Anantnag six, five each in Shopian and Kupwara, four in Jammu, two each in Pulwama and Budgam while one death each has been reported from Bandipora, Doda, Udhampur and Rajouri.
