The funeral of a 55-year-old women, who tested Covid positive after her demise on Sunday, was conducted on Monday at the Wasseypur cemetery as per guidelines issued by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

SDO Raj Maheshwaram supervised the funeral of the woman believed to be the first person in Dhanbad to die of Covid. The woman from Bhuli was suffering from chronic asthma for the last three years and had recently returned here after treatment at Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore.

The woman was brought to the OPD of Asharfi Hospital here on Saturday, July 4 after she complained of ill health. Doctors conducted her X Ray and performed other tests, and then referred her to Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for treatment.

After her death, PMCH preserved her body in the mortuary as per the guidelines, pending her Covid test results.

The district health department has informed Asharfi Hospital about the death of the women and that she had tested positive. The Asharfi Hospital administration carried out mandatory sanitisation and disinfection of its ICU as per norms on Monday.

The number of active cases in Dhanbad increased to 61 with eight more persons, including a police constable, testing positive on Sunday.

As many as 93 journalists, who have been quarantined, were awaiting results of their tests. Notably, Dhanbad Press Club, barely 500 metre from the district headquarters on Luby Circular Road, was sealed on Sunday after two journalists were found to be Covid positive on Saturday.