Coronavirus claims fourth life in India as 72-yr-old Punjab man dies

A 72-year-old man from Punjab, who had a travel history to Germany, has died of coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths due to the infection to four, the Union health ministry said on Thursday (March 19).

News reports suggest the man had returned from Germany via Italy, one of hotspots of the disease in Europe, a fortnight ago and died in the hospital after severe chest pain. Reports later found him positive for coronavirus, reported NDTV quoting senior officials.

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According to the health ministry, the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 173. This includes 25 foreign nationals — 17 from Italy, three from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each from Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.

The figure also includes four deaths reported from Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra. According to the ministry, 20 others have been either cured, discharged or migrated.

Delhi has, so far, reported 12 positive cases which includes one foreigner, while Uttar Pradesh reported 19 cases, including one foreign national. The highest number of cases has been reported in Maharashtra (47), including three foreign nationals.

There has been 27 confirmed cases in Kerala, including two foreign nationals, while Karnataka has 14 coronavirus cases. The number of cases in Ladakh rose to eight and Jammu and Kashmir four. Telangana has reported six cases which include two foreigners.

Rajasthan has also reported seven cases including two foreigners. Tamil Nadu and Punjab have two cases each so far. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Puducherry and Chandigarh have reported one case each. In Haryana, there are 17 cases, which include 14 foreigners.

(With inputs from agencies)