COVID-19: More than 40 Indian-Americans, Indian nationals die in US

Washington: More than 40 Indian-Americans and citizens of India have reportedly lost their lives due to the deadly coronavirus and the number of those having tested positive for the dreaded disease is likely over 1,500, according to community leaders in the US, now the global COVID-19 hotspot.

The US has become the world’s first country to have registered more than 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day with 2,108 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, while the number of infections in America has crossed 500,000, according to latest Johns Hopkins University data.

New York, which has emerged as the epicenter of the COVID-19 in the US, along with adjoining New Jersey, account for majority of the death cases reported so far. Notably, New York and New Jersey have one of the highest concentrations of Indian-Americans in the country.

Among those who have died in the fight against the coronavirus, at least 17 are from Kerala, 10 from Gujarat, four from Punjab, two from Andhra Pradesh and one from Orissa. Majority of them are more than 60 years of age, except for one who was of 21 years of age.

According to a list of COVID-19 deaths compiled by PTI from various community leaders, more than a dozen Indian-Americans have died in the State of New Jersey, mostly around the Little India areas of Jersey City and Oak Tree Road.

Similarly, at least 15 Indian-Americans have reportedly died in New York.

Reports of the deaths of four Indian-Americans have also come from Pennsylvania and Florida. There has been confirmed deaths of at least one Indian-American in both Texas and California.

Reports indicated that at least 12 Indian nationals have died in the US due to the coronavirus, with a majority of them being from New York-New Jersey area.

Community leaders said they estimate more than 400 Indian-Americans have tested positive in New Jersey and more than a 1,000 in New York. In New York City several Indian-American taxi drivers have tested positive.

There are reports of several community leaders being tested positive for coronavirus, but most of them requested anonymity.

Meanwhile, community leaders have started online and social media campaigns to find plasma donors so as to help in the treatment of those in serious condition. At least two of them were successfully able to find a plasma donor on Friday.