There was panic in Kottayam district of Kerala on Friday morning after a man, who was a neighbour of a coronavirus patient, died en route to hospital. The District Collector later confirmed the man died of heart attack.
The victim lived near the son-in-law of a couple who tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week after visiting Italy in February. The son-in-law, who lived in Chengalam in Kottayam, also tested positive for coronavirus.
The victim was reportedly feeling uneasy since Thursday evening. He died en route to the Kottayam Medical College. His biological samples have been sent for testing.
The victim's son was a 'primary contact' of the son-in-law. The son-in-law reportedly visited the deceased regularly at a shop the latter ran.
All protocols will be followed for the last rites of the victim. People have been moved out of the affected neighbourhood in Chengalam as a precautionary measure. The health department advised the public to stay away from the victim's funeral.
Kerala has reported a total of 16 cases of novel coronavirus, including three people who had recovered completely. The elderly parents of the couple who went to Italy were also diagnosed with coronavirus and are in hospital.
Of the 4,180 under observation, 3,910 are in homes and the remaining 270 are in isolation in hospitals across the state. Till Thursday, 1,337 serum samples were sent for testing and 953 have turned up negative results.
(With inputs from Manorama Online)