India has confirmed its first death due to coronavirus when a 76-year-old man in Karnataka passed away on Thursday after he was tested positive for COVID-19.
“A 76-year-old man from Kalaburgi who passed away and was a suspected COVID-19 patient has been confirmed positive for COVID-19. Contact tracing, isolation and other measures being taken. Telangana government has also been informed as he went to a hospital there,” news agency ANI quoted Commissioner, Karnataka Health Department as saying.
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The man had a travel history to Saudi Arabia from January 29 – February 29. He reached back to Hyderabad on February 29 and went to Kalaburgi.
On March 6, the man developed symptoms of fever and cough. But the symptoms got aggravated, and on March 9, he was admitted to a private hospital in the Kalaburgi district.
The patient was transferred to a private hospital in Hyderabad and for further treatment. Later he was discharged and while being brought back, he died on the way to the GIMS, Kalaburgi on March 10.
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
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 12, 2020
Besides, more than 74 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed by the Union Health Ministry so far. The World Health Organisation has declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic.