Indiana health officials are tracking contacts after a University of Alabama fan who attended the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis last weekend died of COVID-19.
Luke Ratliff’s mother told the New York Times that her son’s death on Friday was due to COVID-19.
Pamela Ratliff said her son was hospitalized in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a cough.
“He didn’t have any of the typical symptoms until he started coughing this week,” he told the Times, adding that doctors first treated his son for bronchitis.
“According to a recent news release, the Marion County Department of Public Health and the Indiana State Department of Health are contacting the Alabama Department of Public Health to determine if anyone from Indianapolis may have been exposed. at COVID-19 by any Alabama resident visiting Indianapolis in recent days, “officials said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.” We are conducting an investigation following the county’s standard contact location procedures and the ‘state “.
Luke Ratliff was a well-known superhero who regularly attended Crimson Tide men’s basketball games.
The school’s baseball team honored Ratliff during a moment of silence on Saturday, while numerous other messages of support were poured into social media by fans and players.
Coach Murphy i @AlabamaSB honor Luke “Fluff” Ratliff during today’s game. pic.twitter.com/LrMBYl5Uvp
– SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 3, 2021
Rest In Peace Luke … Thank you for always supporting Alabama with everything you had. You will miss ♥ ️ ♥ ️ pic.twitter.com/EDaM4dGyPj
– Kira Lewis Jr. (@kiralewisjr) April 3, 2021
Indiana experienced a modest increase in rates of new COVID-19 infections during the month of March, while rates in Alabama have continued to fall. Both states are well below the rates observed during the fall and winter hikes.