Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Health Minister K.K.Shailaja on Saturday stated that the death of a 85-year-old man, who was a former Covid-19 patient from Malappuram, is not due to the coronavirus but due to a renal complication he developed.

"He tested negative for Covid-19thrice. 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.

In the state the total number presently under treatment is 138 and in the past week, the number of new cases was in single digits and there were around 78,000 people under observation in the state.