Karnataka man, who died of coronavirus, had hypertension and asthma
A 76-year-old man in Karnataka died due to coronavirus and became the first COVID-19 fatality in India. The elderly also suffered from hypertension and asthma, the Health Ministry confirmed. The deceased, who hailed from Kalaburagi, returned from Saudi Arabia after a one-month-long vacation. He arrived at Hyderabad Airport on February 29, was screened, but didn't show any symptoms then. Here are more details.
The man went to a local hospital in Kalaburagi on March 5 and was admitted the next day with fever and cough. Three days later, he was shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad. Apparently, the man's family got him discharged forcibly, ignoring suggestions of medical practitioners to get him admitted at the isolated ward of Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences.
His kin transferred him to another hospital, from where he was discharged after treatment. The man died while on his way back to a hospital in Kalaburagi. On March 10, his samples were collected and sent to Bengaluru's lab via courier. The samples reached the lab on Thursday morning and by evening it was confirmed the man had coronavirus infection.
On the development, BJP leader B Sriramulu tweeted, "The 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who passed away & was a suspected #COVID19 patient has been Confirmed for #COVID19. The necessary contact tracing, isolation & other measures as per protocol are being carried out. (sic)"
#CoronaVirusUpdate:
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 12, 2020
Death of a 76 year old male from #Karnataka is confirmed to be caused due to co-morbidity and he has also tested positive for #COVID19.
The details are here: pic.twitter.com/6Vou8iVOo9
Last month, the Karnataka state government put border districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru, under surveillance after three people tested positive for the virus in neighboring Kerala. Barring the deceased, Karnataka has five positive cases of COVID-19. A 26-year-old man, who returned from Greece recently, became the fifth person to test positive for the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the national tally reached 74.
Separately, on Thursday, Andhra Pradesh reported its first case of coronavirus as a person, who returned from Italy, tested positive. He is stable and his vitals are normal, an official said. He was tested at Nellore Government Hospital. "He will be discharged after 14 days. All persons he was in contact with have been traced and are in quarantine as per protocol," he added.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Parliament yesterday that coronavirus is a matter of concern and traveling during this time is not recommended, as it will increase the risk. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also appealed to lawmakers to discourage public gatherings. This evening, senior judges of the Supreme Court will announce whether Holi vacation should be extended or not.
