Coronavirus/File
The first positive case of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 in Telangana was reported on Monday. The patient has been identified as a software engineer who works for a company in Bengaluru. But how did he contract the novel coronavirus? A Dubai and Hong Kong connection, perhaps.
The 24-year-old was in Dubai for a company meeting last month. He is suspected to be infected after he came in contact with some people from Hong Kong. He is currently undergoing treatment at an isolation ward of government-run Gandhi Hospital. The patient reached Bengaluru on February 19/20 and then came to Hyderabad via bus on February 22.
The techie was suffering from fever and approached Apollo Hospital in Secunderabad for the treatment. "He got the treatment at an outpatient at that hospital for five days. As there was no relief, the hospital referred him to Gandhi Hospital," Telangana Health Minister E Rajender told reporters today.
His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune and those tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Now, the authorities are trying to identify at least 80 people who came in contact with the software engineer since his return. Those being checked include his family members and bus passengers.
The deadly virus, COVID-19, has killed 2,912 people in China and has spread to at least 58 countries.
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