Former US secretary of state Colin Powell dies after complications from COVID-19

Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, has died from complications after contracting COVID-19, a statement from his family has said. He was 84. Powell had previously been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer in plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune response, CNN reports. Even if fully vaccinated against COVID-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.