Man who died of cardiac arrest tests positive for COVID-19

A 54-year-old man, who was admitted to Kasturba Hospital-Manipal, died of cardiac arrest on May 14.

“The results of samples received on Saturday confirmed that the man had tested positive to coronavirus,” KMC Medical Superintendent Dr Avinash Shetty.

Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha told reporters, through video messages, that the man who was in quarantine in Kundapur, after arriving from Mumbai, had suffered a heart attack.

He was immediately rushed to Kundapur government hospital and from there to KMC hospital in Manipal. Prior to conducting a surgery on the patient, throat swabs were collected and sent to laboratory.

The three medical staff, who had attended to the patient infected with virus and had not followed any safety measures, were quarantined.

Five persons, who had accompanied the man, were also quarantined. The doctors and nurses who had performed the surgery were wearing personal protection equipment (PPE). The doctors who had tended to him in the Kundapur hospital were also wearing the PPE.

Fifty seven primary contacts in the hall, where he had stayed, and 38 secondary contacts were all identified and are being quarantined,.

The cremation will be done as per the government’s COVID-19 guidelines.

KMC Medical Superintendent Dr Avinash Shetty said the hospital’s emergency department would be open as usual and the outpatient department will treat patients as usual from 8.30 am to 1 pm.