The state of Telangana on Monday recorded six deaths due to COVID-19. All the six people who have succumbed to the disease have a travel history to Delhi where they attended a religious congregation by the Tablighi Jamaat.
On Sunday, a 74-year-old man was Telangana’s first death due to COVID-19. He was also among those who had gone to this congregation.
Among the six deaths reported in Telangana, two were admitted to Gandhi Hospital, one in Apollo hospital, one in Global Hospital at Hyderabad and the other who were at District Headquarters Hospitals at Nizamabad and Gadwal.
Over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, had attended the Tabligi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 8-15. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered that an FIR be filed against the cleric who was leading the congregation.
On Monday, Delhi’s Nizamuddin area was cordoned off after 200 people appeared to show symptoms of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Telangana also recorded six new positive cases on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 77. Till date, 13 patients have been recovered or discharged from hospitals.
Two of the six new COVID-19 cases in Telangana were reported from Karimnagar district in the state. Speaking to TNM, Karimnagar District Collector, K Shashanka said that the two new positive cases are primary contacts of the Telangana man who had contracted the disease supposedly from the Indonesian nationals. The Indonesian nationals were preachers who had been to the jamaat event.
“The mother and sister of the Telangana man did not show any symptoms but have been tested positive. They are stable and have been admitted to Gandhi hospitals.”
The 23-year-old Telangana man, referred to as patient 30, had hosted 10 Indonesian nationals who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. The Telangana man had taken the group around to a few educational institutions and places of worship. Soon after the Indonesians tested positive, authorities cordoned off parts of Karimnagar town to carry out an extensive survey to ascertain who all had come in contact with the group of Indonesians.
A total of 16 Rapid Response teams had been deployed in the 16 mandals of the district. The local authorities had even made arrangements for the door-to-door distribution of vegetables and essentials to each house that was under lockdown in Karimnagar.
The group of Indonesians had travelled in coach number S9 of the AP Sampark Kranti Express (Train no: 12708), boarding it at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi on March 13 and alighting at Ramagundam in Telangana on March 14, before travelling to Karimnagar by road.
The Indonesians were accompanied by three Indians and stayed for two days at a mosque near the Karimnagar Collectorate before the first patient-reported symptoms of coronavirus. He was admitted to a hospital on March 17.
The Karimnagar district collector has appealed to those with suspected symptoms of the coronavirus disease to approach the District Headquarters Hospital and avail medical treatment. A special reception counter has been set up at the hospital. people can reach the Call Centre in the Collectorate by dialling 0878-2234732 for any clarifications on the COVID-19 virus, symptoms, treatment, and quarantine facilities, etc.