Fourth Coronavirus death confirmed in India; 70-year-old succumbs in Punjab

India recorded its fourth Coronavirus death on March 19 of a man from Punjab. On March 17, a 64-year-old COVID-19 patient passed away at Mumbai's Kasturba hospital. 

The 70-year-old, who became the recent victim to the virus had travel history and had recently returned from Germany to Delhi via Italy earlier this month. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to live at 8 PM on Thursday over issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it.

The sample of a 72-year-old man, who returned from Germany via Italy a fortnight ago and died at a hospital in Punjab's Nawanshahr district after severe chest pain, has tested positive for novel coronavirus, senior officials said on Thursday. The septuagenarian, who had diabetes and hypertension, tested positive after he died at the Banga community health centre on Wednesday, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Director Jagat Ram said. When contacted, district civil surgeon Rajinder Prasad Bhatia said the man had arrived from Germany via Italy on March 7.

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The resident of Banga came to the health centre with severe chest pain on Wednesday and immediately collapsed. He died later in the day, Bhatia said. "The sample of a 72-year-old man from Nawanshahr has tested positive," PGIMER Director Ram Director Jagat Ram told PTI on Thursday, adding that the report came on Wednesday night.  The number novel coronavirus cases rose to 169 on Thursday after 18 fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country, according to the Union Health Ministry.

What is Coronavirus?

The coronavirus (CoV) is a novel strain in the large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, as per WHO. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people, according to the WHO. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

(With PTI inputs) 

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