Coronavirus In India: 76-Year-Old Karnataka Man India’s First Fatality Due To Covid-19

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Thursday (12 March) confirmed that the 76-year-old man from Kalaburgi in the state's northern region died of coronavirus.

"The 76-year-old man from Kalaburgi who passed away and was a suspected to be a COVID-19 patient has been Confirmed for COVID-19," tweeted state Health Minister B. Sriramulu late on Thursday night.

Karnataka Health Department's joint director for Communicable Diseases Prakash Kumar said all the protocols are being followed with regard to the safe disposal of the man's body.

Kumar said the body has been disinfected completely and disposed as per government guidelines.

He shared the guidelines to be followed on how to handle a corpse in a coronavirus situation, detailing the general principles, tips for corpse handlers, storage or mortuary services, identification and release of body to relatives.

Sriramulu said the health department has initiated the contact tracing and isolation measures.

The deceased returned to Kalaburgi on 29 February from Saudi Arabia and passed away on Tuesday night. He incidentally showed flu-like symptoms and was admitted in a hospital on 5 March.

However, his family members moved him to another hospital in Hyderabad on Tuesday, disobeying medical advice.

Sriramulu said the man was a coronavirus suspect after his death on Wednesday (11 March) and confirmed the cause of death on Thursday.

Following his death in a private Hyderabad hospital, state health department's Information, Education and Communication (IEC) special officer Suresh Shastri said Telangana government has also been informed of the development.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)