India's First COVID-19 Death In Karnataka; Cases Touch 74

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Health officials in Karnataka reported the country’s first COVID-19 death late on Thursday after samples of a 76-year-old man, who was a suspected COVID-19 patient and passed away on Tuesday night, tested positive for the disease. The patient from Kalaburgi also had co-morbidities such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes.

He had returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29. According to reports, he fell ill soon after and was admitted to a private hospital and later shifted to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS). His throat swab was sent to check for COVID-19 infection.

Despite efforts by the District Health Official to convince his family that he be shifted to the GIMS isolation ward, he was transferred to a private hospital in Hyderabad. Later, he was discharged from the hospital and was being brought back to Kalaburgi when he died en route.

The Union Health Ministry confirmed the COVID-19 death in a late night statement.