With two new cases reported from Maharashtra and Kerala each and one from Karnataka, the total confirmed cases have now risen to 79 in India, including the three who recovered in Kerala.
The two new cases in Kerala are fresh cases of infection and not connected with the three-member family, who had returned from Italy on February 29, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday, 12 March.
"One person is admitted to the Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur and has a travel history from Dubai. The other person is in the isolation ward at Thrissur General Hospital and has travelled to the state from Qatar," he told reporters after the daily review meeting. The chief minister said 270 people are under observation in isolation wards at various hospitals across the state.
India Reports First Death From COVID-19
India also reported its first coronavirus death confirmed in Karnataka. A 76-year-old man, from Karnataka’s Kalburgi, who passed away and was a suspected coronavirus patient, has been confirmed to have had COVID-19, Karnataka Minister for Health B Sriramulu confirmed.
The necessary contact tracing, isolation and other measures as per protocol are being carried out. The Telangana government has also been informed since the man had visited a private hospital there.
He had passed away on Tuesday after suffering from cough, cold and breathlessness. His samples and blood had been taken and sent to the National Institute of Virology, Bangalore.
5th Confirmed Case in Karnataka Is a Google Employee
Google has confirmed that an employee in their Bengaluru office has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This is the 5th confirmed case in Karnataka.
In a statement, it said, "We can confirm that an employee from our Bangalore office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They were in one of our Bangalore offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms. The employee has been on quarantine since then, and we have asked our colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to quarantine themselves and monitor their health.”
They added that they have closed offices for a day out of "abundance of caution".
"Out of abundance of caution we are asking employees in the Bangalore office to work from home. We have taken and will continue to take all precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials as we prioritise everyone's health and safety."
Other techies from Bengaluru who have tested positive are from Dell and Mindtree. All had travel history to countries where coronavirus is endemic.
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