"Cause of Bangladeshi Covid-19 patient's death was a hemorrhagic stroke"

The Bangladeshi national who had tested positive for Covid-19 upon being taken to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) after suffering from a “tonic-clonic seizure”, died due to a “hemorrhagic stroke”.

Joining the routinely press briefing at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) on Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Mohamed Faishan revealed that the patient’s CT scan showed that he suffered a serious brain hemorrhage that might have been caused by a damaged blood vessel.

The pressure of the brain hemorrhage was the reason the patient, 33 years of age, suffered from the seizure and the CT scan indicates that the man had been suffering from the condition for a while now and that the defect could have latched during the nerve developing stage. The doctor went on to add that this could have been a tumor or even cancer, rather than a Covid-19 related brain damage.

Highlighting that there have been some cases where Covid-19 caused blockage in blood vessels, Dr. Faishan noted that the deceased had nerve damage.

Further, the patient did not have any symptoms related to Covid-19 and authorities are currently working to figure out if he had any symptoms prior to being taken to Senahiya due to the seizures.

According to the classifications by the World Health Organization (WHO), this case could be deemed a Covid-related death, however, doctors have assured that the patient succumbed to a hemorrhagic stroke and his death could in no way be deemed to have been caused by the virus.

If the patient did not suffer from brain damage, he would be considered asymptomatic to Covid-19. The patient was first taken to Senahiya after having gotten the seizure and was rushed to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for further treatment. Doctors did not have time to assess the situation upon his arrival and he was put on a ventilator immediately. The patient went into cardiac arrest twice before succumbing to the stroke on Tuesday morning.

Dr. Moosa Hussain, who also joined the press briefing, assured the public that doctors had done everything they could to save him.

The Bangladeshi patient's family has been informed of his death, Covid-19 spokesperson Mohamed Mabrook Aziz cited the embassy, which also revealed that the authorities are working to bury the deceased in the Maldives under the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), with the family's consent.

The first Covid-19 related death was reported on April 30, when an 83-year-old woman fell victim to the pandemic. Aminath Adam was linked to Case 126, a 52-year-old Maldivian man who tested positive for the disease on April 24. Other family members are also to have tested positive for the disease.

She was taken to the hospital following complaints of breathing difficulties and was pronounced dead on arrival. Her test results are to have come back after her decease, despite samples being taken early morning on April 28 and being at high risk of being infected given her age.

While this is the second Covid-19 patient to have died in the Maldives, six others are currently hospitalized out of which an 88-year old was placed on a ventilator following complications. Two others, an 80-year-old man and 70-year-old man, are being given oxygen support as well.