Karnataka reports four new COVID-19 cases; Health Commissioner denies community transmission

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Bengaluru, March 26, 2020: Karnataka now has 55 coronavirus patients, as four more people tested positive till 8 am on Thursday. More patient reports of suspected cases are expected towards the evening.

For the first time in the state, a patient has tested positive with no travel history or contact with existing COVID-19 patients. He is not a part of any of the existing patient clusters. His only trail of contact is through healthcare professionals as he was a pharmaceutical company representative.

However, Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey said, "He may not have remembered all those he met. With 50 odd cases in the state, it is impossible to say this is community transmission."

Patient 52 is a 35-year-old man, and a resident of Mysuru. The patient has no travel or contact history, however, he was with the quality assurance section of a pharmaceutical company in Nanjangud and has been in contact with many health care professionals. The patient has been isolated at a designated hospital in Mysuru.

A detailed investigation is under process. Seven of his primary contacts have been traced and are under house quarantine.

Patient 53 is a 70-year-old woman, resident of Chikkaballapura district who had a history of travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and arrived in India on March 14. The patient died on March 24 at Bowring Hospital. The funeral rites have been done with all the precautionary measures as per the guidelines issued by GoI for COVID-19 suspect deaths.

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Patient 54 is 64-year-old man, a resident of Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, who had a history of travel to France and arrived in India on March 1 and later travelled to Himachal Pradesh, and Puttaparthi, and arrived in Bengaluru on March 21. The patient has been isolated and treated at a designated hospital in Bengaluru Rural District.

Patient 55 is a 45-year-old man, a resident of Bengaluru, and contact of P25 (security guard). The patient has been isolated at a designated hospital in Bengaluru.