Nima Wangdi 

The novel coronavirus, (SARS-CoV-2), is said to be fatal for those with underlying health conditions or comorbidities. Going by records,  all the six people who succumbed to the virus in the country had underlying conditions, some severe.

The latest case, the 47-year-old man who died on the night of February 19 at the Royal Institute for Government Strategic Studies (RIGSS) isolation facility in Phuntsholing  had been in the intensive care unit of the facility intubated.

According to the health ministry, the deceased was an end-stage renal disease (kidney failure) patient. He has been on dialysis for a few years.

This is the third Covid related death at the RIGSS isolation ward and the fourth in Phuntsholing.   

The country’s second Covid related death also happened at RIGSS on July 15, 2021. The deceased,  an 82-year old from Phuntshopelri, Samtse had multiple medical conditions including congestive cardiac failure, asthma, hypertension and diabetes. She was not vaccinated.

After a month, a 67 year- old man from Darjeeling, India also died at the RIGSS isolation ward on August 10, 2021. He was the third Covid related death in the country. The deceased was suffering from hypertension and diabetes. He was also treated for lung tuberculosis in the past.

The fifth casualty was a 44- year-old woman from Wangdigatshel village in Phuentsholing, who died at the Phuntsholing hospital on February 10 this year. The woman was suffering from Carcinoma (cancer) of the gallbladder with liver metastasis under palliative care.

The fourth case was in a 34-year-old woman from Tendu, Samtse who died in an isolation facility in Thimphu on January 28. The woman was a kidney patient who was on dialysis in Phuentsholing was referred to Thimphu after she tested positive to the virus.

Her husband accused the health service providers and the hotel staff for not responding to his calls and letting his wife die in the hotel room. The case is with the Bhutan medical and health Council at the moment.

The country’s first Covid related death was reported on January 7, 2021. The  34-year-old man had developed acute liver failure, which also led to acute kidney damage when he contacted Covid-19 .

Based on Kuensel’s record, all the six Covid related deaths took place in the last 13 months since January 7, 2021. There are three males and three females and all of them had underlying medical conditions.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 521 new cases in the last 24 hours, the second one-day highest in the daily record till date.

Of the 10,078 confirmed cases so far, 3,617 are still active with six deaths. A total of 6,455 recovered.