Karnataka reported its second COVID-19 fatality in just over a week, after a 70-year-old man from Benakanahalli village in Belagavi district succumbed to the virus late on Wednesday night, health officials confirmed.
The patient, who had multiple pre-existing health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease (IHD), was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Belagavi when he died due to acute cardiorespiratory arrest with encephalopathy and seizures, the state’s health department said in a press release.
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Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Harsh Gupta, confirmed the death to PTI earlier in the day.
The health department detailed that the man had experienced a seizure and lost consciousness on May 26, following which he was admitted to a private hospital. A neurologist attending to him diagnosed focal seizures with encephalopathy, in addition to severe anaemia and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia).
With his oxygen saturation measured at 88%, a throat swab was taken for COVID-19 testing, which returned positive. Despite advice from doctors, the family moved the patient to Belagavi Medical College and Hospital on May 28. There, he was admitted to the Department of Respiratory Medicine and treated as per COVID-19 protocol.
{{/usCountry}}With his oxygen saturation measured at 88%, a throat swab was taken for COVID-19 testing, which returned positive. Despite advice from doctors, the family moved the patient to Belagavi Medical College and Hospital on May 28. There, he was admitted to the Department of Respiratory Medicine and treated as per COVID-19 protocol.
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"Despite best efforts, his condition deteriorated and he passed away on the same day," the official release stated.
Second Covid death in Karnataka
This marks the second COVID-19 related death in Karnataka within a span of 11 days. On May 17, an 84-year-old man with serious comorbidities had died at a private hospital in Whitefield, Bengaluru. His COVID-19 test returned positive posthumously.
Meanwhile, Karnataka’s COVID-19 bulletin on May 29 reported 148 active cases across the state. A total of 42 new cases were added on Thursday, with 513 tests conducted (including 463 RT-PCR and 50 RAT). The day’s positivity rate was recorded at 8.18%, while the fatality rate stood at 2.3%.
Health authorities have urged the public, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities, to remain vigilant as sporadic COVID cases continue to emerge across the state.
(With PTI inputs)
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