Patient does not have foreign travel history; nor has come in contact with positive patients

Mysore/Mysuru: The emergence of one new Coronavirus positive case yesterday who was diagnosed with the disease after coming down with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) has worried the District Administration and the State Government that is witnessing a couple of such cases across the State. The patient has no foreign travel history and has not been in contact with any COVID-19 positive patients.

Meanwhile, three more tested positive for the deadly virus in Mysuru this morning and all the three have roots in Nanjangud-based Jubilant Generics. P-303, a 52-year-old male and an employee of the pharma company, P-311, a 38-year-old male, also a Jubilant employee and P-312 a 26-year-old female, contact of P77 (wife) from the pharmaceutical firm tested positive.

With this, the number of cumulative positive patients in Mysuru has gone up to 61 and there are 49 active positive patients in the designated COVID-19 Hospital on KRS Road. The State count stands at 313 including 13 deaths and 82 discharges.

SARI case

Of the 10 positive cases reported in Mysuru yesterday, nine are from Jubilant Generics and the one case that has tested positive is P-273 is a 72-year-old male who has a history of SARI. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar said that 200 samples from Mysuru were sent to National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru and 10 have been tested positive and one patient has SARI.

“The person had admitted to Mahadeshwara Nursing Home in Siddhartha Layout for three days with breathing difficulties. He was later shifted to JSS Hospital and now he has been tested positive. He has no foreign travel history and has not been in contact with positive patients. We are investigating how he has contracted the disease,” the DC said.

Lung infection

SARI is a lung infection that can be fatal if untreated, can affect people with low immunity. SARI is manifested by fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing. It encompasses pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). These two conditions are the primary causes of death among COVID-19 patients.

Such SARI cases has been reported in Chikkaballapura and Bengaluru. “All the other 9 positive cases from Jubilant Generics were under isolation and now we have again quarantined 12 contacts of P-273 SARI patient,” Abhiram Sankar said.

DC on Jubilant Generics

Even the nine jubilant employees who tested positive did not have any symptoms but they have tested positive. “All of them were the contacts of P52 and we have asked all the secondary contacts of P52 to undergo mandatory tests. Already, 760 of 1,300 secondary contacts of the positive patients have been tested and 200 samples have been sent to NIMHANS for testing,” he added.

Jubilant Generics will not open till the completion of testing all employees. “From the security guard to the top management, all employees will be tested. The administration is expecting more positive cases out of quarantined Jubilant Generics employees. But there is no need for panic as all the employees are under home isolation,” the DC said.

Mysuru city cannot be sealed

On the measures like seal down, the DC said that the entire Mysuru city cannot be sealed down. “If there are more than 10 positive cases in a particular locality, that locality can be sealed. In Mysuru, there are over 200 Jubilant Generics employees and the others are distributed across Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Nanjangud. All of them are under home quarantine and are under observation,” Abhiram Sankar revealed.