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68-yr-old man dies of coronavirus in Kerala, second death in state
Kerala had reported its first Covid-19 death on March 28 after a 69-year-old man, who came from back from Dubai in the UAE, succumbed to the coronavirus disease in a hospital in Kochi.
Kerala reported its second Covid-19 related death on Tuesday morning after a 68-year-old resident of Pothencode died in a Thiruvananthapuram hospital, officials said.
The man, who was admitted to the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram a week ago and was on a ventilator for the last five days, had no travel history.
“He was a high-risk category patient. We tried our best to save his life,” doctors at the Government Medical College said.
He had tested negative for Sars-Cov-2 initially, tested positive after three days and again turned negative a day before his death.
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Harried health officials are now looking for his possible contacts as he had attended two weddings and death in the last one month and said contact tracing will be cumbersome.
The daughter of the man, a former assistant sub-inspector of police, is a conductor with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and is a cause of worry, they added.
“He is a social worker. We have requested all who came in contact with him report immediately. Already 300 of his contacts are under observation,” said state temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran who represents his constituency.
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“There is no need for any panic. But we have to step up our vigilance. But it is worrying he had many contacts,” KK Shailaja, the state health minister, said.
His body will be buried under the strict norms prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Only five people will be allowed during the funeral rites.
A 69-year-old man, who came from back from Dubai in the UAE, was the first person to succumb to the coronavirus disease in the state on March 28.
The man, who had bypass surgery five years ago, came to the country on March 16 from Dubai. He was tested positive on March 22, six days after he returned.
Kerala has 234 Covid-19 patients, including 22 people who have been discharged, according to state health officials. It has the highest number of people infected with coronavirus after Maharashtra, which reported 225 cases on Tuesday morning.
