93 members of Tablighi test +ve, Delhi count 669

NEW DELHI: As many as 93 members of Tablighi Jamaat, who were evacuated from a mosque in Nizamuddin last month, tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking the state’s Covid-19 count to 669. Delhi has the third highest number of Covid-19 cases after Maharashtra (1,135) and Tamil Nadu (738).

Of the total cases, officials said, 64% are the Jamaat members who had participated in a religious congregation at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid.

Apart from the Tablighi Jamaat members, 214 persons found positive for Covid-19 have travel history and the reasons for infection among at least 29 others are still being investigated. “Local transmission has been observed in some areas, being referred to as Covid-19 hotspots. The government is aggressively tracing and testing anyone who may have contact with the infected individuals,” said an official.

One of the emerging clusters for Covid-19 testing is Delhi State Cancer Institute where 22 staff members have been tested positive for the disease. Three cases were confirmed positive on Wednesday, sources said. The results of the patients at the hospital who are suspected to have contracted the infection too are awaited, the source added.

Meanwhile, as many as 30 healthcare workers at AIIMS had to be advised self-quarantine, as one patient admitted to the emergency wing recently tested positive for Covid-19.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) also installed its newly developed full body disinfection chamber at the hospital to help in controlling the spread of coronavirus. A senior DRDO officer said the walk-through enclosure is designed for personnel decontamination, one person at a time. The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, electrically operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hyposodiumchloride. The mist spray is calibrated for an operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically indicating completion of operation.