A 28-year-old man, working as a driver with the Kerala Excise Department, died of COVID-19 on Thursday morning. KP Sunil, a native of Padiyoor in Kannur, was a driver with Mattannur Excise Range office in the district. According to district officials, this could probably be the first case in Kerala where a person with no comorbidities died of COVID-19.

Sunil tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Tuesday since he had pneumonia. His source of infection is not known yet.

“The deceased did not have any previous illnesses. But we will inquire about it. We could not trace the source of infection also. He died around 9.50 am on Thursday," Kannur District Medical Officer Dr Narayana Naik told TNM.

According to some reports, Sunil was on duty when the excise team caught some men, accused in an illegal drug smuggling case, from Karnataka. He had been showing symptoms in the last five days. His condition became critical by Wednesday afternoon.

According to officials, Sunil was on duty till June 12 and then visited the hospital on June 14 following a fever. Later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. The immediate cause of death was cardiac arrest, said the DMO.

Currently, in Kannur district, 136 patients are under treatment. There are a few cases in the district, wherein the source of infection has not been identified yet. This week, another 14-year-old was diagnosed with COVID-19, although his source is yet to be identified.

With Sunil’s death, Kerala’s death toll has reached 22. Currently, 1,335 patients are under treatment in the state. A police officer from Ernakulam district also tested positive on Wednesday