A senior official of the Union Territory of Ladakh on Sunday said that a 73-year-old man from Leh died of urinary tract infection and not from coronavirus. Commissioner secretary Rigzin Samphel said, “The patient had urinary tract complications. We have sent his samples and have not received the results as yet but the cause of his death was not the coronavirus infection.”

Ali Mohammad, 73, who hailed from Yaukuma Chochuk village was hospitalised in a Leh hospital on March 7.

Apart from the urinary tract infection he also had high pyrexia. He died on Sunday morning. Samphel also informed that the two patients,who have tested positive for the coronavirus infection, have been kept in isolation.

“They are hale and hearty. They were quarantined from day one at the hospital,” said Samphel.

Both the quarantined patients had a history of travelling tocoronavirus-hit countries. They had returned from Iran.Meanwhile, reports ofthe two persons with travel history to Iran and South Korea, who have beenadmitted in an isolation ward of the Government Medical College Hospital inJammu, were still awaited.

Dr Shafqat Khan, who has been nominated by the government asthe nodal officer for coronavirus prevention in Jammu and Kashmir, said, “Theyhave high viral load and they may test positive but their final report is stillawaited.”

There’s probability of testing positive and they have beenkept in isolation at the Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu, said DrKhan

Both the cases had left the hospital against medical adviceand had to be brought back. The samples of both were sent to the NationalCentre for Disease Control(NCDC), New -Delhi.

Both the persons fled from the hospital on Wednesday night,alleging that there were inadequate facilities in the isolation ward of thehospital but were brought back on Thursday.