Karnataka man suspected to have COVID-19 dies in Kalaburagi, govt awaits results

Coronavirus

The 76-year-old man had returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29.

Prajwal Bhat

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A 76-year-old man, who was suspected to be infected with coronavirus died in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district on Tuesday night. The Karnataka government on Wednesday said that his test reports are yet to come out.    A press briefing by the Karnataka Health Department said the 76-year-old man returned from Saudi Arabia to Hyderabad on February 29. He was, however, admitted to the out-patient department of a private hospital in Kalaburagi on March 5, and then a day later moved as an in-patient in the private hospital. On March 9, his samples were collected in Kalaburagi and on the same day, he was shifted to a Hyderabad hospital, over 200 kilometers away. However, on March 10, the Hyderabad hospital told the family to shift the patient and while he was being taken to Kalaburagi, he passed away in the ambulance at 11:30pm that night.  Prakash, a health department official said, “On the advice of family or hospital he was first shifted to Hyderabad. He had other issues like asthma, blood pressure which may be why he was shifted and coronavirus was not suspected at the time.” In both hospitals, he was not kept in an isolation ward and this may have been because initially they did not suspect coronavirus.  Meanwhile, the Health and Family Welfare Department’s Kalaburagi unit stated that it is taking precautions as he was suspected to have been infected with the virus.  “Until the suspected coronavirus patient’s funeral proceedings are completed, Kalaburagi health official Dr Sharanabasappa Kyatanala is in charge and is tasked with taking precautions and preparing a report,” read the note. The Kalaburagi District Health Officer Dr MA Jabbar said the patient’s family members have been placed under home quarantine and their health is currently being monitored.  Kalaburagi Taluk Health Officer Dr Sharanabasappa Kyatanala had told TNM, “His swab samples have been taken and sent to National Institute of Virology in Bengaluru. His autopsy was performed this morning and the postmortem report is yet to come. The test results have not yet come. He was a suspected case only. We are still waiting for results from Bengaluru.” 

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