COIMBATORE: A 44-year-old man with blood cancer, hailing from Kavundampalayam in Coimbatore, died on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai where he was being treated for COVID-19. With this, Coimbatore district records its first death caused by the viral infection.
Health department sources said the man’s body would be cremated as per WHO guidelines in Chennai. His wife, who had accompanied him from Coimbatore, would be screened for COVID-19. However, it is still unclear as to where the deceased contracted the infection.
Coimbatore Deputy Director of Health Services G Ramesh Kumar told TNIE the deceased had blood cancer. "The patient had undergone treatment for cancer at Coimbatore for a week and wished to continue the treatment at RGGGH in Chennai. He was shifted to Chennai in an ambulance a few days ago. His wife accompanied him, while his two children remained at their house in Kavundampalayam," he said. At the Chennai hospital, he developed a fever and was tested for COVID-19. The result came back positive on Saturday.
Following this, foctors and health staff at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, who had come in direct contact with the deceased, were isolated. The hospital ward and his locality in Kavundampalayam were disinfected. Officials in Coimbatore also commenced contact tracing. On Sunday, the man died without responding to treatment, officials said.
Meanwhile, four more COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Coimbatore taking the total number of cases in the district to 146.