TS adds 3 more Covid-19 cases

People visited Galleria on March 11 need to isolate

The state health department on Thursday announced that the number of Coronavirus (Covid-19) positive cases in the state jumped up to 16, with three more positive cases confirmed today from among the patients admitted at its hospitals here for testing.

One of them travelled to Hyderabad from Dubai on March 14, and three days later, he developed symptoms of the disease. The second case announced was that of a traveller who reached the city from London. However, in the third confirmed case on Thursday, the health department said the person travelled from London to Hyderabad via Dubai on March 18 but had developed symptoms on March 10. He was admitted to the designated hospital here in the city on March 18, it said.

With respect to the patient who travelled from Dubai on March 14, the department said all persons who had come into contact with this individual have been identified and placed under home quarantine. It was waiting for details of other passengers who travelled on same flight from Dubai to Hyderabad with the patient so they can be contacted and their health ascertained.

The department issued what appeared to be a hastily revised daily Covid-19 bulletin at around 10.30 pm on Thursday listing 16 total cases, after it issued a first version at 9 pm which said the total cases had risen to 14.

In the first bulletin, the department said that a patient who tested positive for Covid-19 disease from a neighbouring state had visited the Galleria Mall at Punjagutta on March 11 and added that all those who visited the mall on that day should immediately quarantine themselves at home and “access healthcare after the onset of Covid symptoms.”

This information was dropped in the revised second bulletin. Further inquiries revealed that this was done as the “matter was being further investigated”.

Interestingly, the state government, which ordered the closure of bars and pubs, educational institutions and several other establishments on March 14 to prevent the further spread of the disease, said that it will continue to allow malls, supermarkets and other retail shopping establishments where people can shop for essential commodities and other daily needs to remain open.

As on Thursday, a total of 711 individuals are under home quarantine,

1,440 others are in quarantine facilities, the department said. It also said that cumulatively, it has tested

498 samples so far, of which 450 tested negative,

16 tested positive but did not provide any information on the results of 32 other tests conducted since beginning of testing.