A 75-year-old woman died of COVID-19 at the Kannur Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday.
Nabeesa, a native of Padanakkad in Kasaragod, died early on Saturday morning. She had visited the Kanhanagad District Hospital after experiencing severe breathing problems. She was diabetic and was also under medication for thyroid issues, said A.T. Manoj, District Surveillance officer.
She tested positive for SARS-COV-2 after her swab was collected when she arrived here for treatment. Later, her condition deteriorated as she was diagnosed with pneumonia and she was referred to the Medical College Hospital in Kannur, he added. Her body oxygen levels too dropped drastically, and she was on ventilator. The source of infection is not yet known, Dr. Manoj said. The samples of her family members will also be collected for testing.
Meanwhile, the number of patients getting infected through contact is on the rise in the district. In several cases, unidentified sources have put the health authorities on high alert. In two of the four deaths in the district, the sources of infection were unknown.
Youth dies
In Kannur, a 19-year-old who succumbed to his injuries was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Though the Health department is yet to confirm COVID-19 as the cause for death, preliminary examination at the Government Medical College Hospital here found him positive for the virus. However, his samples have been sent to the Virology Institute in Alappuzha for further examination.
Amal Joe Aji had been undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of the Government Medical College after he was seriously injured in a car accident last week. He died on Friday.
