Manipur reports first COVID-19 death

Guwahati: Manipur on Wednesday, July 29, reported its first COVID-19 death as a 56-year-old man succumbed to the disease at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in the capital city Imphal.

Director of the hospital, Ahanthem Santa Singh, reportedly confirmed to media persons that this is the first COVID-19 death in the Northeast Indian state. According to reports, the deceased was a resident of Khongjom Sapam village in Thoubal district who was admitted to the institute on May 22 for the treatment of kidney issues as well as high blood pressure. The man tested positive for the COVID-19 infection and died in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Northeastern state of Manipur has reported a total of 2,317 COVID-19 cases till Tuesday of which 705 are active as 1,612 people have recovered from the disease, officials said. According to officials, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the state is 69.70 percent.

A 23-year-old girl from Imphal (west) was identified as the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Manipur when she tested positive on March 24 last. The person reportedly had a travel history to the UK and was treated at the JNIMS and released after recovering from the contagious disease.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths in the Northeast have started to climb upwards amid the rapid spread of the infectious disease in the region. Nagaland, one of the last states in the country to register cases of the virus, registered the first COVID-19 death after a patient died at Dimapur District COVID-19 Hospital on Friday, while 65 coronavirus positive cases were detected in 24 hours.

Assam leads in the number of deaths in the Northeast Indian region. In the state, 88 people have already passed away due to infectious COVID-19 disease.

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