MYSURU: Amid the gloom, a reassuring ray of hope: Around 120 people kept under isolation in hospitals across the state were discharged on Monday, leading to a collective sigh of relief. However, anxiety continues to grip Mysureans, with the number of COVID-19 cases rising in the district.
Mysuru has the second highest share of cases in the state, clocking 35 so far, with a rise of 14 cases in just 72 hours. Until March 20, Mysuru had zero COVID-19 cases, when the entire country was witnessing a steady rise in the number of cases.
Now, with Mysuru being considered a COVID-19 hotspot, as identified by the Union health ministry, and the pharma company in Nanjangud town a cluster case, there is fear and anxiety in the district.
The first positive case in the district was P-20, a 35-year-old man with a travel history to Dubai. The district administration took all necessary precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus, and this case was not so worrying. The administration managed to pin down all people with foreign travel history who had arrived in Mysuru.
It was when an employee of the pharma company, with no travel history, tested positive for the virus and so did his contacts in the firm, that the administration went into high alert.
Soon after this, the district, with a population of 30 lakh (as per 2011 census) started seeing a spike in the number of cases. As on Monday, 24 of the 35 cases in the district are found to be related either to the pharma company or contact of the employee of the company, while 8 other patients are residents of Delhi and members of the Tablighi Jamaat. They toured Mysuru and Mandya districts from January-end to March-end, but were later intercepted along the Mysuru border and found positive for COVID-19.
Monday’s cases
A total of seven new COVID-19 cases were reported in the district, taking the total tally to 35. According to Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Sankar, of the seven new cases, three are residents of Delhi and members of the Tablighi Jamaat (P-155 to P-157) who were intercepted at the Mysuru border recently. P-154, a 20-year-old man, is the contact of P-104, while P-158, a 26-year-old male, is an employee of Jubilant, P-159 is a contact of P-103 and P-160 is a contact of P-27.