A 76-year old man from Karnataka who died on Tuesday passed away due to the novel coronavirus, the state government said on Thursday, marking the first fatality from the infection in the country.
Tests of samples taken earlier of the man confirmed COVID-19, the government said Thursday.
“The 76-year-old man from Kalaburgi who passed away and was a suspected COVID-19 patient has been confirmed for COVID-19. The necessary contact tracing, isolation & other measures as per protocol are being carried out,” state health minister B Sriramulu confirmed.
The number of coronavirus-infected patients in India has risen to 74, which includes 16 Italians and one Canadian. The figure also includes three patients from Kerala who were discharged last month following recovery. In Karnataka, five Indians have tested positive.
India has taken the unprecedented decision to suspend all visas, barring select categories, till April 15, effectively closing its borders for a month. The Centre also advised all states and Union territories to invoke provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, which will enable them to enforce advisories as and when needed.
As per the latest bulletin, in Karnataka, 1,220 people have been identified for observation. Of them, 292 persons have completed 28 days of observation and 906 persons are still under home quarantine. These include those who had travelled to coronavirus-affected countries or were in contact with affected individuals.
As of Thursday afternoon, 18 people were admitted to selected isolation wards in Karnataka hospitals. So far, 579 samples of symptomatic persons have been sent for testing and 460 samples reported as negative reported Indain Express.
