Puducherry reports its first COVID-19 death as 71-year old man dies in Kannur

Kannur/Puducherry, Apr 11 (): The Union Territoryof Puducherry reported its first COVID-19 death with a 71-yearold man, hailing from Mahe, succumbing to the infection at ahospital in Kannur on Saturday.

Spokesman of the Department of Health, Puducherry,said this was the first coronavirus death from the UT.

The man died at the Pariyaram Medical CollegeHospital, Kannur District Medical Officer, Dr K Narayana Naik,told ''.

Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja told reportersthat "the man was not a patient from the state and had come toKannur for treatment. All his relatives are in Mahe."

His nine-member family has tested negative forcoronavirus, she said.

Mahe, a former French colony, which shares its borderswith two Kerala districts-- Kannur and Kozhikode-, is anenclave of Puducherry.

Teams from Kerala and Mahe have traced almost all thecontacts of the deceased and a list of 83 people has beenprepared, the minister said.

"We have traced almost all contacts of the deceased.

A contact list with 83 persons has been prepared",she said adding the condition of the patient was critical andall efforts had been made to save his life.

The deceased had at first undergone treatment in twoprivate hospitals at Thalassery and Kannur and was lateradmitted to the Pariyaram Medical College Hospital, where hedied this morning, Dr Naik said.

Dr A K Jayasree of the medical college hospital saidthe man was also suffering from heart and kidney ailments andhypertension.

It is not clear from where the patient had contractedthe virus as he has no travel history from abroad.

The man, a social worker, had attended variousfunctions, including some weddings, offered prayers at amosque and had travelled in various vehicles.

Samples of 16 people, who had come in contact withhim, were found negative, Dr Jayasree said adding results of30-40 other samples are awaited.

The deceased hailed from Chalakara in Mahe.

A Puducherry report said during treatment for renalailment, the man tested positive for coronavirus and wasshifted to a COVID-19 hospital in Kannur a few days later.

Seven people have tested positive for the virus inPuducherry, of whom one of them died Saturday morning.

A 68-year old woman from Mahe who had returned from apilgrimage in March, had tested positive.