Coronavirus - 6 Who Attended Delhi Mosque Congregation Die Of COVID-19 In Telangana

New Delhi : 

Six people who attended a congregation at a mosque in Delhi's Nizamuddin have died in Telangana after testing positive for coronavirus. A cleric at the event had died after in Srinagar last week.

More than 2,000 delegates, including from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, attended the congregation of Tabligh-e-Jamaat - a Muslim religious organisation - from March 1 to 15.

In a huge health risk, as many as 1,400 people continued to stay at the Jamaat's "Markaj" even after this period even as a 21-day nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 24.

Over 300 people who were part of the congregation have been taken to different hospitals to be tested for coronavirus in Delhi and kept in isolation.

Of the six people in Telangana, two died in Gandhi Hospital, one each in Apollo Hospital, Global Hospital, in Nizamabad and in Gadwal.

Special teams have identified those who came in contact with these people and they have been shifted to hospitals, a note from Chief Minister KCR's office said, adding that they have been tested and are being treated.

The authorities have appealed to all those who participated in the congregation to contact officials. At least 10 Indonesians who went to Telangana after the event tested positive.

Delhi Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials and medical teams went to the South Delhi locality late on Sunday night after reports said a large number of people were showing symptoms for the disease.

The area has been virtually sealed over fears that some people may have contracted the virus.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered a First Information Report or FIR against the cleric who was leading the congregation.

The police said they have been trying to convince the organisers to vacate the building since March 24 but the attendees said many had been stranded there because of the nationwide lockdown.

Authorities zeroed in on the shrine complex after it was found to be the common factor between a patient who died in Srinagar and 11 Indonesians who tested positive in Telangana.

Among those staying in the facility's six-floor dormitory are about 280 foreigners, the police said.

Worryingly, many of the visitors travelled all over India after the event. After the gathering, they dispersed in 20-30 buses.

The police have reported the potentially grave situation to the home ministry, the sources said. Nearly 30,000 people live in Nizamuddin west and Nizamuddin Basti area, news agency PTI said.

In the worst-case scenario, this could lead to a huge jump in coronavirus cases in Delhi. There are over 1,200 cases in the country, including 32 deaths.

COVID-19 Test Now Available for Booking Online via Practo

COVID-19 Test Now Available for Booking Online via Practo

Practo on Saturday announced that COVID-19 tests are now available on its platform. In a statement, Bengaluru-based Practo said the company has partnered with Thyrocare to conduct the detection tests, which has been authorised by the government of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

"Starting today, the test is available for Mumbai residents, and will soon be expanded to the rest of the country. A valid doctor's prescription, duly filled Test Requisition Form signed by the physician, and a photo ID card has to be presented at the time of testing," it said on its blog.

The test will be available at a cost of Rs. 4,500 and can be booked online at https://www.practo.com/covid-test and https://covid.thyrocare.com/, Practo said. "Certified phlebotomists from I2H will collect the samples from the patients'' homes directly, it said. "They will be taking all necessary precautions mentioned in the ICMR guidelines while taking the swabs. The Swab that is taken during the test will be collected in a viral transport medium (VTM) and will be transported in a cold chain to the Thyrocare laboratory which has been selected for COVID-19 testing. The report will be made available to the patients on the Practo website within 24-48 hours of the sample collection," the statement added.

Dr. Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Health Strategy Officer, Practo, said, “Widespread testing is critical to track the scale and prevent the transmission of COVID-19. To ensure that anyone who experiences the symptoms of the infection can get tested, the government is constantly working on expanding the list of labs and centers. We've partnered with Thyrocare to ensure that access to these tests is not an issue. We will continue to work closely with the authorities to identify more such areas where Practo can solve for accessibility – be it for doctor consultations, testing or medicine delivery. We stand firmly committed to our vision of making quality healthcare accessible to all Indians, esp. in difficult times such as these.”

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