COVID-19 death toll in TN mounts to five; 86 fresh patients

The death toll in Tamil Nadu due to COVID-19 infections rose to five on Sunday with the death of a 60-year-old man and the swab samples of a 71-year-old man, who passed away here on April 2, rendering positive for coronavirus.

Also, 86 people, including the 71-year-old deceased, tested positive for Coronavirus, taking the total tally to 571. The remaining 85 had attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi last month, taking the number of people infected with COVID-19 from the Nizamuddin cluster in Tamil Nadu to 522.

A total of 1,246 persons, who attended the Delhi conference, have been identified and samples have been collected from all of them, but not all results have come.

In a terse statement, the Ministry of Family and Health Department said the 71-year-old man, who hailed from Ramanathapuram district, passed away within two hours of his admission at the Stanley Medical College Hospital here on April 2.

“He was wheeled into the hospital in a serious condition and was alive only for one hour and 20 minutes. But his samples were collected within the short period and was sent for testing. It came positive today,” Health Secretary Dr Beela Rajesh told reporters at the regular briefing.

Another death of a 60-year-old, who was admitted to the same hospital on April 1, was reported on Sunday. The man, who was “doing fine”, developed breathlessness at around 7 pm on Saturday and was put on ventilator immediately. Despite efforts, he passed away at 1.45 am, the Health Secretary added.

She evaded a direct response to breach of protocol in handing over the body of the 71-year-old to his relatives. The body was taken to Ramanathapuram, 545 km from here, in an ambulance even as a couple of his relatives travelled in a separate car.

Instead, she asked people to “cooperate” and report to hospitals once they develop symptoms, while reiterating that COVID-19 was a medical emergency. The Health Secretary said the effort now was to prevent the state from entering third stage, which is community transmission, and added that the containment plan was being extended to every area where new positive patients are reported.

The state has so far tested 4,612 samples and have placed 1,848 persons in isolations wards in hospitals.