Tamil Nadu: DMK MLA Anbazhagan succumbs to COVID-19 in Chennai Hospital

Tamil Nadu MLA J Anbazhagan, who had tested positive for coronavirus, passed away in a Chennai hospital on Wednesday morning. He would have turned 62 on this day. The DMK MLA was admitted to the hospital on June 2 after complaining of severe acute respiratory distress. He later tested positive for COVID-19.

Anbazhagan was put on ventilator support on June 3 after his breathing trouble worsened and he was found to have contracted acute pneumonia. The DMK leader’s condition deteriorated on Monday evening at the Chennai Institute and Medical Centre. A drop in cardiac functioning and a chronic kidney disease also contributed to his critical condition.

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The private hospital released a statement on Wednesday saying that despite complete medical support, including mechanical ventilation at the COVID-19 facility, Anbazhagan succumbed to his illness.

Anbazhagan is the first prominent political leader to die of coronavirus in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister E Palanisamy and DMK chief MK Stalin condoled the politician's death. Stalin also announced three-day mourning for the leader with the DMK flag at half-mast. All party events have also been called off in wake of his demise.

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Coronavirus grips Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu's death toll crossed the 300 mark with as many as 1,685 new positive coronavirus cases recorded on Tuesday. The government has announced the addition of over 1,000 beds in hospitals as part of measures to tackle the pandemic in the state capital. As the state continued to post a new high of cases on a daily basis, with Chennai accounting for a huge chunk, the government asserted that it has been following a multi-pronged approach to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.

Though the state's tally of total infected people rose to 34,914, the active cases were 16,279 and 798 patients got discharged from various hospitals on Tuesday. Cumulatively, as on date, 18,325 people have recovered from the illness caused by the virus. Tamil Nadu is the second-worst hit state in the country.

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