Bengaluru, Mar 13: India has registered the first confirmed case of death due to novel coronavirus. A 76-year-old man from Karnataka's Kalaburgi who passed away recently has been tested positive for Covid-19.
The doctors had suspected that the man had coronavirus, however, the test had not confirmed it.
In an official notification, a senior health official in Karnataka government Dr Suresh Shastri said that the lab test has confirmed that the deceased man had Covid-19.
"The 76-year-old man from Kalburgi who passed away and was a suspected COVID 19 patient has been confirmed for COVID 19. The necessary contact tracing, isolation and other measures as per protocol are being carried out. Telangana government has also been informed since he went to a private hospital there," Dr Suresh Shastri said.
The same information was also shared by Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu.
A senior Union health ministry official said in New Delhi that the death of the man had visited Saudi Arabia from January 29 to February 29. The official said the man had reached in Hyderabad on February 29 and went to Kalaburagi in Karnataka.
State Joint Director (Communicable Diseases) BG Prakash Kumar said all protocols were followed for disposal of the body.
"The body is disinfected completely and disposed of as per the Government of India guidelines," he added when asked to elaborate on the protocols.
He said the Telangana government has also been informed as the man had gone to a private hospital in Hyderabad earlier.
While announcing the death of the man on Tuesday, the state authorities had said the exact cause his death was being ascertained.
According to the Union health ministry official, "While he was asymptomatic on his return (from Saudi Arabia), he developed symptoms of fever and cough on 6th March. One private doctor visited him at his home and treated him there."
"On 9th March, the symptoms got aggravated and he was shifted to a private hospital in Kalaburagi. In this private hospital, he was provisionally diagnosed as 'mid-zone viral pneumonia' and 'suspected Covid-19'," the official said.
"The sample was collected on March 9... Without waiting for the test results, the attendees insisted and the patient was discharged against medical advice and the attendees took him to a private hospital in Hyderabad," the official said.
The patient was admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad and treated. He died on Tuesday when he was being brought back to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Kalaburagi.
Apart from the deceased, Karnataka has confirmed five other positive cases of the novel coronavirus. The fifth case, confirmed on Thursday is of a 26-year-old man who recently returned from Greece.
The patient has been admitted and isolated at a hospital and his condition is stable, a department media bulletin said.
The day also saw the education department declaring summer holidays for students from kindergarten to class six and study leave for higher classes in the city as a precautionary measure.
Comments
one day snake must come out from rat hole...that day we will wait
Dear DC Dr. Harsha, we want to know if you will take strict action on these anti nationals / rowdis / day robbers / terrorists who ransacked auto + beaten the auto driwer and stolen Rs. 10,000 from him though he was legally transporting the meat. They same terrorists are involved in transporting live animals to beef export houses in Gujrat owned by Brahmins / Jains. Will you be loyal to your duty and promise. We will see how you will handle the issue failing which you will lose our respect and we will consider you as a dramabaz and phenku. You should follow the law and treat everyone equally. There should not be any pity on goondas/ terrorists belonging to sangh parivar. The terrorists who thrashed the auto driver and damaged the auto and burnt the meat by pouring kerosene are not human beings and should be treated as anti nationals + terrorists. We hope you will discharge your duty as per the oath taken by you while accepting your post.
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