Srinagar: Five people lost life to COVID19 on Saturday, the toll of the fatalities due to viral illness in J&K reaching 81, while SKIMS Soura modified its COVID19 dead-body packing protocol to ‘reduce weight’ for the last rites.

Two people who were COVID19 positive died at SKIMS between Friday night and Saturday evening. These included a 65 year old male from Kanihama Magam Budgam, admitted to the Institute on 19 June. Dr Farooq Jan, medical superintendent SKIMS said the patient died past midnight and the body was kept in mortuary. “His COVID19 test report was not ready and he was reported positive on 20 June,” Dr Jan said. The patient was diagnosed with community acquired bilateral pneumonia, he said.

A 55 year old woman from Tujan Pulwama also died at the Institute early Saturday morning. The patient had been shifted from SMHS on 16 June as a case of meningioma (a tumor affected brain or spine) and had sleep apnea (a respiratory disorder affecting people while they sleep). She had tested positive while admitted at SMHS Hospital, Dr Jan said.

Her body was packed and handed over to authorities in a body bag, wrapped by a blanket. This came as a surprise for family members who questioned the ‘breach in protocol’, as per some reports.

SKIMS Soura however, said, this would be the manner in which bodies would be handed over from now onwards. “We have been getting complaints that the wooden boxed that we packed the bodies in, after packing them in body bags, were difficult to carry and increased the number of people required for burial.

“In order to reduce weight to be carried, we decided to do away with the wooden boxes,” Dr Farooq Jan said. He said as per the protocol, the bodies are to be packed in a body bag and disinfected with sodium hypochlorite. “That we were doing and will continue. Boxes are not part of protocol,” he said.

One female from Khudwani Kulgam, aged 78 years, died at SMHS Hospital during the night between Friday and Saturday. The patient, Dr Nazir Chaudhary, medical superintendent SMHS Hospital said, had been admitted on 18 June. She tested positive today after her death, Dr Chaudhary said adding that the deceased suffered from co-morbid conditions.

A 65 year old female from Safa Kadal Srinagar admitted at Chest Diseases Hospital expired today. The patient had been shifted from SMHS Hospital on 14 June, after she tested positive for the viral infection. Dr Saleem Tak, medical superintendent CD Hospital said the patient was suffering from underlying ailments including hypertension and diabetes and had cardiac ailment. “She was put on a ventilator on 19 June after her condition deteriorated. However, she did not make it,” he said.

One death was reported from Jammu division, information bulletin issued by J&K Government said. The death, the bulletin said, was recorded from Jammu district, taking the total reported deaths to 7 in the district.