BENGALURU: The Minister of Health and Family Welfare B Sriramulu in a press meet on Tuesday said 64 people who came in contact with the coronavirus affected techie in Bengaluru before he left for Hyderabad are being quarantined at home. The residents of 92 flats in the building where the techie resides in Bengaluru are being screened for fever. If there are any symptoms reported, the patients will be isolated at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases.
Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, Principal Secretary Jawaid Akhtar, Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey and other health department officials held a press meet on measures being undertaken by
the department to prevent and control a coronavirus outbreak in Karnataka.
"We are taking all precautionary measures and people should not panic. The techie went to Dubai on February 16 and arrived in Bengaluru on 20th. He went to work for a day and left on February 21st
night on a bus to Hyderabad, where he got a fever. He was tested positive for coronavirus there. All the people who were in contact with him during this time are being monitored," Sriramulu said.
"The virus is incubated in the body for 14 days before it shows symptoms of fever, cold and cough," explained C Nagaraj, director, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases.
The state has circulated guidelines to all district-level health authorities for prevention and control, with state and district rapid response teams on alert at state and district level involving medical colleges. Eight medical officers and 16 paramedical staff are present at Kempegowda International Airport and the ports of Mangaluru and Karwar.
There are 50 designated hospitals for isolation and treatment of coronavirus patients in Karnataka, including 31 government and 19 private hospitals. There are 246 beds and 50 ventilators, 1462 N95
masks and 646 personal protective equipment.