Sikkim reports first Covid-19 death

Gangtok, July 26 (IANS) Sikkim on Sunday reported its first Covid-19 death even as the state's number of positive cases went up to 499, official said.Sikkim Director General-cum-Secretary of Health Department, Pema T. Bhutia, said that a 74-year-old man died at the Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial (STNM) hospital. The patient, who was also suffering from diabetes and hypertension, was admitted to the STNM hospital on Saturday night after he tested positive for Covid-19. "When the condition of the patient deteriorated, he was shifted to the hospital's intensive care unit where he succumbed to the disease," Bhutia said.The hilly state has so far registered 499 Covid-19 cases while the number of active cases stood at 357 as on Sunday. In view of the rising number of coronavirus cases, the Sikkim government on Sunday extended the statewide lockdown for one more week till August 1.
--IANS sc/arm