COVID-19 toll increases to 37 in Karnataka; 54 new cases

Bengaluru, May 17 () A 54-year-old man from Udupibecame the 37th COVID-19 fatality in Karnataka, where 54 newcases were added, taking the total number of infections in thestate to 1,146, the health department said on Sunday. The man with cardiac issues was admitted to a privatehospital in Udupi district and died due to cardiac arrest onMay 14.

His samples tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, thedepartment said in its mid-day situation report.

With 37 deaths and 497 discharges, there are 611 activecorona cases in the state, it said.

Out of 54 new cases, twentytwo are from Mandya, ten fromKalaburagi, six from Hassan, four from Dharwad, three eachfrom Yadgir and Kolar, two each from Dakshina Kannada andShivamogga, and one each from Udupi and Vijayapura.

Among them, 40 are those with inter-state travel historyfrom neighboring Maharashtra, mostly from Mumbai and eight arecontacts of patients already tested positive.

Contact tracing was underway for three patients.

At least 10 out of these fifty four cases are children.

A report from Mangaluru said the man who died in Udupihad returned from Mumbai to his native Kundapur.

He was under institutional quarantine at Kundapur andadmitted to the Kasturba Hospital in Manipal with chest painon May 13 and underwent a surgery. He died on Thursday due toa massive heart attack.

Three staff members at the hospital who were in contactwith the patient during treatment have been put underquarantine, hospital medical superintendent Dr Avinash Shettysaid in a release. Udupi deputy commissioner G Jagadeesha said five personswho travelled with him from Mumbai have been quarantined. Atotal of 57 people are identified as his primary contacts whowere quarantined with him at Kundapur inside a hall. As many as 38 others listed as his secondary contacts havealso been quarantined.

With this, Udupi district has recorded the first COVID-19death, officials said. KSU MVGVS VS