Cancer patient who tested positive for COVID-19 dies in Kerala; Toll rises to 5

Kozhikode (Kerala), May 24 ()A 53-year old woman cancer patient died on Sunday, days after she tested positive for COVID-19 on her return from Dubai, taking the toll due to the deadly virus in the state to five, a top official said. The condition of the woman had been critical since arrival on May 20 and she was on ventilator support and the end came this afternoon at the Government Medical College Hospital here, health department sources said. "A covid test was conducted on her and she had tested positive. So though the cause of death is malignant cancer, we will consider this as COVID death," State Health Secretary Dr Rajan Khobragade told . The woman, hailing from Kalpetta in Wayanad district, along with her husband had reached Kerala from Dubai on May 20 for cancer treatment. She was first admitted to a private hospital and later shifted to the medical college hospital after testing positivefor the coronavirus. With her death, the COVID-19 fatalities in the state has risen to five. A 73-Year-old woman, who had returned to the state from Mumbai, had died after testing positive for the infection in Thrissur on Thursday night. Earlier, three people, including a four-month old baby girl, had died of COVID-19 in the state, which has been witnessing a spike in new cases in recent days. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy who had returned to Kannur from Chennai and was under quarantine died at a hospital on Sunday. He had been admitted to the hospital following fever and headache. His first test had returned negative, health department sources said. As a precautionary measure one more sample had been sent for testing, they said. CORR UD VS VS