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Coronavirus: Andhra reports first Covid-19 death, finds Jamaat event link
Coronavirus in India: The state government authorities said that it was revealed after the man’s death that his son had attended the Jamaat event.
The samples of a 55-year-old man, who died four days ago at the government hospital in Vijayawada, tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Friday, making him the first fatality of the infection in the state.
The deceased was the father of a person who attended the Tablighi Jamaat’s international congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi held between March 13 and 15 and returned home two days later, according to an official bulletin released by the state medical and health department on Friday afternoon.
“The deceased was brought to the hospital in Vijayawada at around 11.30 am on March 30. He was suffering from hypertension, diabetes and a heart condition. He died within an hour after being admitted to the hospital,” the bulletin said. The delay in identifying the reason for the death due to Covid-19 was because of the deceased’s multiple health complications, it added.
The state government authorities said that it was revealed after the man’s death that his son had attended the Jamaat event. “We took his swab samples after we came to know of his son’s travel history. On Friday, it was confirmed that he had died of Covid-19,” the bulletin said.
The son, who was also undergoing treatment at the hospital, tested Covid-19 positive on Tuesday. “Altogether, 29 people who got in touch with the son, have been quarantined. All of them have been tested,” it added.
The flight details of the son have also been shared with the Central government, while further details about his travel history are being ascertained, the bulletin said.
In a separate bulletin, the department said 12 new Covid-19 positive cases were reported in Andhra since Thursday night, taking the total tally to 161, of which three have been discharged after they fully recovered.
Nellore district has recorded the highest number of cases at 32, followed by Krishna (23), Guntur (20), West Godavari (15) and Visakhapatnam (14).
Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting with officials on Friday afternoon. At least 140 fresh Covid-19 positive cases have come to light that are all linked to the Jamaat meet, the officials said.
Altogether 1,085 people from Andhra Pradesh had attended the event, but officials have identified 946 to date. Tests had been conducted on 881 people so far. While 108 of them tested Covid-19 positive, the results of 65 were still awaited and the remaining had tested negative.
Besides the 946 people, who attended the Jamaat meet, another 616 were found to have got in touch with them. Among them, 32 people tested Covid-19 positive and results of another 335 were still awaited, they added.
