15-Year-Old Girl Infected With COVID-19 Dies After Surgical Procedure

A 15-year-old girl in India reportedly died after undergoing a surgical procedure to treat abdominal tuberculosis. According to local media reports, the girl had tested positive for COVID-19.

The incident took place Tuesday in the eastern state of Odisha. The teenager, identified as Leha Nayak, lost her battle with the illness while undergoing treatment at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the city of Bhubaneswar.

The girl, who was the eldest daughter of her parents – Sudarshan Nayak and Jayanti Nayak -- was admitted to a government hospital for abdominal tuberculosis. She later tested positive for COVID-19.

When Leha complained of stomach pain last year, her parents reportedly thought she had gastric issues, and gave her some over-the-counter medication, Kalinga TV reported. As her condition deteriorated, her mother took her to Bamunigaon Hospital for treatment.

However, Leha did not show any signs of improvement, and her stomach gradually started to swell.

Leha's mother then took her to a private hospital for further treatment. After five days of treatment at the hospital, they decided to shift her to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar as her condition worsened. After undergoing surgery at AIIMS, she was admitted to the intensive care unit for observation. However, she died just a day after the procedure, Report Wire reported.

Local media reports said the teenager's family had financial issues, and struggled hard to arrange money for the girl's treatment. They then reportedly received financial help from a group of women from the village and a local police station official. The exact date when the girl was admitted to the hospital remains unknown.

India on Wednesday reported more than 161,000 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, 3 percent lower than the previous day. The daily positivity rate has dropped to 9.26 percent from 11.6 percent, while the weekly positive rate is 14.15 percent. The country also recorded 1,733 new deaths in 24 hours, as the southern state of Kerala added a backlog of 1,063 fatalities to the count.

Vaccination for the age group 15-18 began in January, with health officials saying they would soon start a vaccination drive for those above the age of 12. Authorities said in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive across the country, over 75 percent of the country's adult population is now fully vaccinated.