Coronavirus in Puducherry: Mahe man dies of Covid-19

PUDUCHERRY: A 71-year-old man from

Mahe

, who was undergoing treatment in Pariyaram Government Medical College Hospital in Kannur district of Kerala, died of

Covid-19

on Saturday morning. He is the first patient in the Union territory of Puducherry to die of Covid-19.

The patient with a history of renal and cardiac ailments and pneumonia did not respond well to the treatment and was on ventilator.

Health officials said the man had not visited any foreign country but contracted the virus from someone who had returned from abroad.

The administration has quarantined close to 100 people who came in close contact with him. They have been subjected to medical tests in batches and none of them tested positive. The administration has launched efforts to trace more people, who had moved closely with him recently.

Inquiries revealed that the man had visited a mosque on a school premises in Mahe to pray, daily from March 15 to 21. He also attended a betrothal function in Kannur district on March 18 in which more than 40 people participated. He along with 10 others visited a mosque near the function venue to pray on the same day.

He complained of fever and sore throat on March 23. The man along with his nephew visited a private hospital in Kannur for consultation. His condition deteriorated on March 31, and he was admitted to an intensive care unit in the private hospital.

He was later referred to another private hospital in Kannur. His throat swab samples were taken on April 6 and sent for medical examination. The test report, which was released on April 7, declared that he was infected with novel coronavirus.

Presently six people, who tested positive, are undergoing treatment at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute.