A 69-year-old who returned from the UAE on March 22, who had been kept in isolation, passed away in Kochi, making him first person in Kerala to die of the virus.
Bengaluru: Kerala has reported its first death related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The man has been identified as a 69-year-old who returned from the UAE on March 22. He had been kept in isolation.
"He is from Kochi and was suffering from heart ailment and blood pressure. Since he was already placed under high-risk category, this need not be a cause to worry. The body has now been handed over to his relatives and the funeral will take place later today. There is no need for any worries at all," said state Agriculture Minister V S Sunilkumar and as quoted by a popular website.
The website further added him as saying, "All those who came in contact with him have been identified and have been quarantined."
State IMA official Sreejith Nair said that underlying heart ailments for coronavirus positive patients is considered to be a high-risk case.
"The need of the hour is, all those with underlying ailments have to ensure that they remain at home as they are high-risk cases," he said.
Global scenario:
In Italy, it is reported that 969 COVID-19-related deaths took place in a single day, bringing the country's total to nearly 10,000. Italy currently has over 86,000 cases.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States rose past 100,000 on Friday (March 27), according a tracker run by Johns Hopkins University. Over 1,500 people have died.
The highest number of cases is in the state of New York, at over 44,000. Out of this, over 25,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in New York City alone.
The death toll in Spain rose to 4,858, after 769 people died in a 24-hour span. Spain has over 64,000 COVID-19 cases.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that he too has tested positive for Coronavirus and is in self-quarantine.
As of now, the best preventive measure available is to stay indoors and maintain social distancing.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.