India witnessed its first coronavirus death in Karnataka after a 76-year-old man tested positive for the disease.
The deceased, Mohammad Hussain Siddiqui, had recently returned to Kalburgi from Saudi Arabia. However, on his arrival to Hyderabad airport, he did not show any symptoms of the disease.
Siddiqui was admitted to a hospital in Kalburgi city and was rushed to CARE hospital in Hyderabad, but died while returning.
Dr Suresh Shastri confirmed that the deceased had Covid-19 after lab check.
“The 76-year-old man from Kalburgi who passed away and was a suspected COVID 19 patient has been confirmed for COVID-19. The necessary contact tracing, isolation and other measures as per protocol are being carried out. Telangana government has also been informed since he went to a private hospital there,” Shastri said.
India Figures
There are as many as 74 patients in India with fresh reports pouring in from Maharashtra, Delhi, Ladakh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, as per Union Health Ministry.
A 24-year-old youth, who returned from Italy, has tested positive in Nellore, while total number of cases in Kerala has risen to 16. His condition, however, is stable and all his vital organs are safe, Nellore district administration said.
Maharashtra has 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.
Two new cases in Kerala also have been registered. One is from Kannur and another from Thrissur, who returned from Dubai and Qatar, respectively.
They are currently in isolation in Pariyaram Medical College hospital and Thrissur General Hospital respectively.
In Delhi, a 69-year-old woman, who has been admitted to RML Hospital, has been tested positive, making her the sixth patient there. Her son has a history of traveling to Japan, Geneva and Italy. Eight other members of their family were found to be asymptomatic.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said cinema halls will be shut till March 31 due to coronavirus threat.
Pune has reported nine cases.
The Union Health Ministry said, so far, 10.5 lakh people have been screened at 30 designated airports in India and as much as one lakh testing kits are available in the country.
The government also are in touch with private sector to ensure enough isolation beds as the need arises, it said.
Indians Stranded Abroad
The ministry also said the Indian students stranded in Italy will be brought back to India after testing their swab samples by an Indian team of doctors, who would be visiting them.
The government is also taking steps to ensure safety and security of its citizens in Iran, which was facing Covid-19 outbreak. “We will be bringing back 130-150 Indians by three flights,” Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Rubina Ali said.
As many as 108 samples were received from Iran on March 7 and are being tested at AIIMS laboratory.
Also, six scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are in Iran and have so far have collected swab samples of over 400 Indians stranded there.
As many as 900 Indian citizens and 48 from different nationalities, including from Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, USA, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru, have been evacuated from Covid-19 affected countries.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority Chairman Shubhra Singh said there is sufficient stock of raw materials for medicines and formulations available to meet coronavirus outbreak needs.
Empty Stadiums
The External Affairs Ministry advised BCCI not to go ahead with IPL, but added that it would be left for it to decide.
Following a directive from the Sports Ministry, the remaining two ODIs between India and South Africa in Lucknow and Kolkata, the Indian Super League football tournament final in Goa are among events to be played in empty stadiums.
