Parents Abandon Baby Afflicted With COVID-19 In The Hospital, Child Succumbs To Disease

With COVID-19 cases rising in India, it comes as no surprise that there are people who want to steer clear of the virus and continue living. However, there are instances where people would have to consider their offsprings, in this case, a baby.

Per reports, a mother and father had reportedly abandoned a two-month-old baby who was later found to be positive for COVID-19. The child died at a hospital in Jammu on May 2 who also suffered from other problems such as congenital heart disease according to Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital Medical Superintendent Dara Singh. The infant was admitted on Sunday at the hospital and succumbed at around 8:30 p.m.

The disheartening part about the child is that the parents refused to take the body of the baby boy. They fled after the baby’s death and are now at large.

“After death, the baby’s Covid test was conducted and it came out positive. The parents were informed and requested to undergo the test themselves as a precautionary measure. They dodged the hospital staff on the pretext that they knew where the tests were being conducted and fled the hospital,” Singh said.

Efforts to reach the parents were made by security personnel but the effort proved futile. This forced them to seek the aid of police authorities who are now trying to locate the parents.

“The body of the baby is at the hospital mortuary and being assessed as per the Covid guidelines after seeking permission from the district administration,” Singh added.

The baby’s body remains at the hospital with the proper rites yet to be performed due to legal issues. The hospital needs to wait 72 hours before a funeral could be arranged, NDTV reported.

51 COVID-related deaths were reported on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir, the most so far in a day. The majority of those came from Jammu.

India is battling a devastating second COVID wave that has seen its active caseload jump to a record high. The total caseload they have right now is the second-highest in the world behind the United States and Brazil.