UP Minister Succumbs to COVID-19; State Mourning Announced

The Yogi Adityanath government has announced a state mourning after the demise of Uttar Pradesh Minister Kamal Rani Varun. The minister, aged 62, died of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, 2

August, IANS reported.

She had been admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) on July 18.

PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter to condole her passing, saying “her whole life was dedicated to social work. Condolences to her family and supporters at this time of grief.”

उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार की मंत्री श्रीमती कमला रानी वरुण जी के निधन से बहुत

दुख हुआ। उनका पूरा जीवन समाजसेवा के प्रति समर्पित रहा। उन्होंने राज्य

में भाजपा को मजबूत बनाने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई। शोक की इस घड़ी में

मेरी संवेदनाएं उनके परिजनों और समर्थकों के साथ हैं।ओम शांति!

UP CM Yogi Adityanath also offered his condolences on Twitter, saying that the state had “lost a devoted public leader today.”

उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार में मेरी सहयोगी, कैबिनेट मंत्री श्रीमती कमल रानी

वरुण जी के असमय निधन की सूचना, व्यथित करने वाली है।प्रदेश ने आज एक

समर्पित जननेत्री को खो दिया।उनके परिजनों के प्रति मेरी संवेदनाएं।

ईश्वर दिवंगत आत्मा को अपने श्री चरणों में स्थान प्रदान करें।ॐ शांति!

According to an official statement issued by Prof. R.K. Dhiman, director SGPGIMS, the minister had comorbidities in form of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypothyroidism.

"She had bilateral pneumonia at admission and was shifted to ICU on the day of admission itself because of high oxygen requirement. Later, she required non-invasive ventilation (NIV) with

high oxygen requirements.”

"On evaluation, she had all the features of severe disease and she was given Inj. Remdesevir followed by Tocilizumab following which she had transient improvement in her clinical status for

few days but again her condition started deteriorating with progressively increasing NIV and oxygen requirements," the statement said, according to IANS.

However, her condition continued to deteriorate with hypotension and multi organ dysfunction and she succumbed to her illness.

IANS also reported that CM Adityanath cancelled his scheduled Ayodhya trip on Sunday, following the demise of the UP minister. The CM was also supposed to review the preparations and

security arrangements being made for the 'bhoomi pujan' of the Ram temple which is going to be held on 5 August. He was also supposed to meet senior saints and seers during his visit.

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