BAGALKOT: In a big surge in COVID-19 cases in Bagalkot, 13 people including two minors tested positive for the virus in a village near Badami on Wednesday.
Three days ago, a 23-year-old pregnant woman from Danakasirur village, which is 12 km from Badami, was infected by the virus. After she tested positive, health authorities had collected 164 samples from her primary and secondary contacts in the village.
In the health bulletin released by the state government, 19 fresh cases were reported taking the total number of cases in the state to 692.
In the last 57 days, the majority of cases were reported in urban areas -- this is the first time over 10 cases were reported in a single village in the state. It is also the first village to be sealed due to COVID-19 in the state. Over 250 people have been put under quarantine in the village.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, District Health Officer Dr Ananth Desai said, “All the 13 have been put under quarantine in the designated hospital in Bagalkot. We are waiting for the results of the remaining samples taken from the primary and secondary contacts of the 23-year-old woman. We are also on the job to trace the root cause of the infection in her,” he said.
Before testing positive, the woman had travelled to Krishnapur village of Gadag and at least three hospitals in Hubballi. The district administration in Gadag has cordoned off Krishnapur village.