55-Year-Old Man Who Was Infected By Son Is Andhra's First COVID-19 Death

Andhra Pradesh has reported its first death linked to the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19

A 55-year-old man who died at a government hospital in Vijayawada on March 30 has been confirmed as the first novel coronavirus-linked death in Andhra Pradesh. The man, who was diabetic and suffered from hypertension, died an hour of reaching the hospital. Authorities believe he received the infection from his son, who is also infected and had returned from Delhi on March 17.

Around 29 people who had contact with either the father or the son have been quarantined. Authorities in Delhi have also been informed and contact tracing is underway to identify those who came in contact with the son in the national capital, as well as those on the flight from Delhi.

"The man came to the government hospital at 11.30 am on March 30 for health check-up. His blood swab was sent for examination (but) he died around 12.30 pm. He was suffering from hypertension and cardiac problems besides being diabetic," state nodal officer Arja Srikanth said in a release.

The delay in confirming cause of death was because of other ailments, authorities added. The man's son tested positive on March 31.

There are 161 COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh, of which 140 have been linked to the Markaz Nizamuddin and the Tablighi Jamaat's controversial religious gathering in south Delhi. The number of cases in the state have tripled in the past two days.

In Andhra 21 new cases reported on Thursday were linked to the gathering. SPS Nellore district saw a significant jump in number of cases with 17 reported overnight. On Wednesday 43 people who had returned after attending the event at the Markaz Nizamuddin tested positive, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's office said.

So far, across India over 550 people with links to the gathering have tested positive for coronavirus, the Home Ministry has confirmed. In addition, 960 foreigners currently in the country on tourist visas have been blacklisted for links to the group.

A nationwide hunt has been launched for more members and people who may have attended the gathering, which authorities say was held in defiance of social distancing protocols in force currently.

Across India 56 deaths have been linked to the novel coronavirus, with the number of confirmed cases rising to 2,301; 336 new cases were reported in a 24-hour period. Worldwide the number of COVID-19 positive cases has crossed 1 million and more than 50,000 have died

With input from PTI