Pune witnesses a surge in Covid cases, 5 children hospitalised
Pune city has witnessed a surge in Covid-19 infection cases, and as per treating doctors, the uptick has been witnessed over the past week.
Doctors at Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) have reported the virus infection amongst five children. On Sunday, a six-month-old boy was discharged from the hospital after successful treatment. He had tested positive for Covid-19 on 21 May.
Similarly, a three-month-old girl was discharged from SGH on 22 May. She tested positive for the virus infection on 18 many. Both patients required oxygen support during treatment, said the officials.
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There are three Covid-19 patients currently undergoing treatment at the Pediatric ward. This includes a 13-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. Both of them were admitted a week back and are known cases of tuberculosis and are on oxygen support. Besides, a one-year-old girl has tested positive for Covid-19 and is undergoing treatment. She has been admitted with complaints of convulsions and high-grade fever, said the SGH doctors.
Dr Aarti Kinikar, head of the pediatric department at BJMC and SGH, said a surge in Covid-19 cases, especially in pediatric patients, has been witnessed over a week.
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'We daily send around four to five samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing. Few patients came with complaints of pneumonia, and the symptoms were mild among the infected. We are a part of the Sentinel survey for the state and country,' she said.
Dr Ekanth Pawar, dean of BJMC and SGH, said, 'There has been a surge in cases of Covid-19. The surge has been witnessed amongst the children, but the symptoms remain mild.'
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Maharashtra on Sunday reported 43 fresh Covid-19 cases. Of which 35 are from Mumbai, 7 from Pune Municipal Corporation and 1 from Pune Rural. Since January, as many as 300 Covid cases and four deaths among the infected have been reported.
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