Kasaragod  : Kerala recorded its first death due to the novel coronavirus in Kochi on Saturday, the state government confirmed.

A 69-year-old coronavirus patient who was receiving treatment at the Kalamassery Medical College in Kochi died on Saturday.

Authorities confirmed that the patient had a travel history to Dubai and hailed from Ernakulum. He was admitted to the hospital on March 22 with pneumonia symptoms and later tested positive for coronavirus.

He was on ventilator support after his condition worsened. He was also suffering from heart disease and high blood pressure and had undergone a bypass surgery earlier.

The body has been handed over to the relatives, state authorities said.

Reacting to the death, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja Teacher said, “We tried our best but could not save him. The cremation will be done as per protocol with very limited people. The body will be buried deep. We have made arrangements for the family to see the body through video calling. Once the coffin is covered, we will not reopen it under any circumstances.”

“As of now, the condition of 4-6 patients is a cause of concern. However in Kasargod, all the patients are stable at the moment,” she added.

With this, the total death toll from coronavirus in India has risen to 21. Deaths have so far been reported from Maharashtra (5), Gujarat (3), Karnataka (2), Madhya Pradesh (2) and one each from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Kerala has been one of the worst-hit states by the coronavirus pandemic. So far, Kerala has reported 176 cases of which 11 are foreign nationals. All 14 districts in the state have been affected by the pandemic.

The worst affected Kasaragod has 79 positive cases, the highest and most of the affected are Non-Resident Keralites from the Gulf.