A 36-year-old man who was in institutional quarantine at a COVID-19 care centre in the district after returning from the UAE earlier this week died of SARS-CoV-2 on Friday. He was a native of Pandanad. Officials said the person had been suffering from a liver ailment. After showing symptoms of liver disease, he was taken to the Government Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha, in the morning. He died in the afternoon. Although the deceased had not shown symptoms of COVID-19, his body fluid samples tested positive.
The number of cases continued to climb in the district with three more persons testing positive on Friday. Officials said all three had come from Gulf countries. One of the patients, hailing from Ambalappuzha taluk, reached the Cochin international airport from Kuwait on May 27. As he was showing symptoms, the person was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Ernakulam.
The second person, a youth from Chengannur, had come from Dammam on May 19. The third one, a native of Kuttanad, came from Abu Dhabi on May 17. Both had been in quarantine.
One person was hospitalised with symptoms on Friday, taking the total number of people in observation to 38.
