65-year-old dies of COVID-19 in Kalaburagi; Karnataka's toll rises to 5

Kalaburagi reported its second COVID-19 death on Wednesday amid fears by private doctors that the novel coronavirus spread could have reached the third stage in the city as the deceased had neither a travel history nor had he attended the religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin.

The fifth fatality in the state, a 65-year-old fruit seller, died on Tuesday night. The doctors based their fears on the fact that a 57-year-old man and his 72-year-old mother who tested positive also had no history of travel or any direct contacts.

The district administration should begin community screening. The lockdown should be enforced effectively or else the situation is likely to go out of control, they said.

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The deceased was a resident of Santraswadi in Mijaguri on Dargah Road and was admitted to a private hospital on KBN Dargah Road on April 4 with severe acute respiratory infection.
When his condition worsened, he was admitted to ESIC Hospital on Tuesday night after the doctor suspected him of contracting COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the number of positive cases in the district rose to nine. However, Dr P S Shankar, a senior doctor, said the patient must have contracted the virus through direct contact. “Patients will never reveal their travel history. There is no fear that the virus spread has reached the third stage,” he opined.

Meanwhile, an FIR was filed against the private hospital for not informing the district administration though the patient had COVID-19 symptoms. The hospital has been sealed and the doctor and the staff nurses who attended to the deceased have been quarantined. About 20 primary contacts have been traced so for.

As soon as the news of the death spread, the police asked all shops in the city to shut. Police commissioner N Satish KUmar ordered strict enforcement of the lockdown.

Deputy commissioner B Sharat warned doctors of stringent action if they refuse to treat suspected or positive COVID-19 cases.

In a letter to Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College (MRMC) dean, the deputy commissioner said some staffers were shrugging responsibility and were misleading doctors.

The district’s recorded the country’s first death when a 76-year-old man who returned from Saudi Arabia died of on March 10.