A 96-year-old man from Begumbur in Dindigul district, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died at the Government Karur Medical College Hospital on Tuesday. He is the oldest COVID-19 positive patient to die in Tamil Nadu. With this, the State has reported 12 deaths of COVID-19 patients.

In a statement issued, the Health Department said the patient was admitted to the hospital on April 9. He developed severe breathlessness, and did not respond to treatment. He died at 6.40 a.m. on Tuesday.

Doctors at the hospital said he was disoriented and could not talk since his admission. His condition worsened over the last two days and he did not respond to treatment, hospital authorities said.

A reliable source told The Hindu that the patient was suffering from diarrhoea for a long period at his home, where he had been bedridden. He could not even consume the liquid diet given to him.

The patient had contracted novel coronavirus from his grandson, who has also been admitted to isolation ward after testing positive for COVID-19 virus following his return from the religious conference in New Delhi.

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