New Delhi: An 85-year-old who was cured of COVID-19 died in Kerala's Malappuram today. According to reports, the man died in the hospital there due to renal problems.  Kerala Health Minister K.K.Shailaja stated that the death of an elderly man was not due to the coronavirus but due to renal complications that he developed. According to a report by OnManorama the man got infected with coronavirus from his son who had returned from Saudi Arabia. After undergoing treatment, he tested negative thrice for the virus.

"He tested negative for COVID-19 thrice. Then he had underlying ailments. He was a cardiac patient for three decades, had breathing issues (COPD) and had kidney problems. He recovered from COVID-19 and thanked the medical staff which took care of him. Then he had a kidney problem and infection. He died today morning, but not due to COVID," said Shailaja.

She added that the funeral will take place based on the present national guidelines when a person dies a normal death.

Kerala has been the only state so far in India that has been able to flatten the curve by successfully containing the virus. On April 16, Kerala reported only one new case in 24 hours. One of the most important tools used by the state was contact tracing, if anybody tested positive, they would contact all the people the person had come in touch with and quarantine them. If anyone had flown in from abroad “route mapping” was one of their first moves. Another important factor was that the grassroots level of administration was aware and prepared, and this made it easier for people to reach out to local administration. According to data from the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Kerala has 396 confirmed cases of coronavirus at present.