India reports second death linked to COVID-19

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - A 68-year-old woman who was tested positive of coronavirus has died in the capital New Delhi, the second death in India which is linked to global pandemic, officials said.

“Death of a 68-year old female from West Delhi [mother of a confirmed case of COVID 19], is confirmed to be caused due to co-morbidity [diabetes and hypertension]. She has also tested positive for COVID-19,” said an official release on Friday night.

The authorities said the patient had history of contact with a positive case.

“She was a known case of diabetes and hypertension. Her sample was collected on 8th March, 2020… however, due to comorbid conditions, she died on 13th march, 2020 at RML Hospital, Delhi as confirmed by the treating Physician and Medical Superintendent,” the release said.

The Indian Health Ministry has put the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the country at 82 as of Friday night, with 17 being foreign nationals.

India reported it first death due to the novel coronavirus on Thursday. In a series of tweets earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to take precautions and not panic as the number of cases continues to rise.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 123 countries and territories.

The global death toll is now nearly 5,000, with more than 132,500 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a pandemic.