AP govt announces first coronavirus death, deceased linked to Tablighi Jamaat meetings

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government announced first COVID 19 death in the state, on Friday. The Health, Medical and Family Welfare department revealed that a patient, namely Sk Subhani, 55, died in the hospital suffering due to the virus, at Government General Hospital, Vijayawada.

The deceased joined in the hospital on March 30, with serious ailments. He died within an hour after admitting in the hospital, even before the doctors collect samples for coronavirus test. Hence, it id delayed to confirm the cause of his death, informed Arja Srikanth, Nodal Officer for COVID19 in AP, in a statement.

Further, the government traced the connections to the deceased with the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in New Delhi.

Subhani's son attended the religious meeting in Delhi and returned to the house at Vijayawada on March 17, who tested virus-positive. The doctors established that the deceased caught the virus from his son. They are residing at Kummaripalem, outskirts of the city.

Officials identified 29 contacts of the due birth father and son and all of them quarantined. The details pertaining to travel history of the primary patient, including flight details are given to the central government for their use to detect other contact people.