A 69-year-old man, who tested positive for the coronavirus, died in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Saturday, ANI reported. This is the first Covid-19 death in the state, however, the Union Health Ministry has not confirmed it yet.
The victim, a resident of Chullikal area in Kochi, had returned from Dubai on March 16, according to The News Minute. The man was admitted to a hospital on March 22 after he developed symptoms of severe pneumonia and blood pressure. He had also undergone a bypass surgery five years ago.
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VS Sunil Kumar, the state’s agriculture minister, said the businessman died at the Government Medical College in Ernakulam at 8 am. “We tried our best to save his life,” said Kerala’s Health Minister KK Shailaja. “It is really sad.”
His wife and driver have also tested positive for Covid-19 and are being treated.
Meanwhile, 200 passengers who travelled with him from Dubai and seven people from his apartment complex are also under observation.
The Union health ministry has so far confirmed a total of 873 coronavirus cases in India, including 19 deaths and 78 recoveries. Of these, Kerala has reported 173 cases.
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