Kolkata / Family keeps man's body in freezer for 48hrs while awaiting Covid-19 test result

Kolkata: The body of a senior citizen (71), whose swab samples were sent for a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) test, had to be kept in the house in north Kolkata for around 48 hours, as his family members could neither cremate him nor any mortuary in the city has the infrastructure to preserve the body until the test result was made available.

Though the man had died on Monday afternoon, his test result was made available only late at night the following day, which showed him Covid-19 positive.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities took the body to a Covid-designated cremation ground in east Kolkata, where his last rites were performed.

“My uncle had a fever on Saturday. On Monday, his swab samples were collected by a private laboratory on the advice of a local doctor. But, he suffered a cardiac arrest soon after that and died around 3pm,” said Akshay Mullick, the deceased’s nephew.

The family got in touch with the Kolkata Police, the state health department, and the KMC authorities and tried to preserve the body in a mortuary until the test result was made available to them.

“Three mortuaries turned us down, as none has the infrastructure to preserve a Covid-19 patient’s body,” he said.

The body was kept in a room inside the flat in north Kolkata on Monday night, while the family members stayed in the other rooms. The wait for the test results continued until late on the following day amid the oppressive summer heat.

“The family somehow managed to arrange a freezer – a glass box with ice – on Tuesday to keep the body. It was only after 10pm on Tuesday that his test result came that showed Covid-19 positive,” said one of the deceased’s neighbour.

The police were informed about the test results, who in turn informed the health department, late at night on Tuesday. The family had to wait till Wednesday for his last rites to be performed, as per Covid-19 norms.

“We were in touch with the family all through. Everything was done as per the prescribed norms and after consulting the KMC and health department officials and experts,” said Atin Ghosh, a member of Board of Administrators (BoA) that now governs the KMC.

All the family members, including his wife and two sons, have been asked to stay quarantined at home.

“We were in constant touch with the family members. As the man had died with Covid-19 symptoms and his test result was awaited, nothing could be done,” said an officer of the local police station.