Novel coronavirus cases in India shoot up to 28, marks local transmission

On March 4, 22 confirmed cases were reported from India taking the total to 28. India has for the first time reported local transmission of the virus as all the 22 new cases were infected locally.

India now has local transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) with 22 contacts found positive for the virus today (March 4). With this, the total number of people with confirmed infection shot up to 28.

In addition to the six people reported till yesterday — three detected in Kerala (who have now been discharged from the hospital), one case each in Delhi and Hyderabad and an Italian tourist — 22 more people were reported today.

The Delhi person is a male adult who had returned from Italy, while the Hyderabad person returned from Dubai. Both Italy and UAE have ongoing local transmission.

The biggest cluster so far seen is in Jaipur where 17 have tested positive for the virus. The cluster consists of 16 Italian tourists (including the person found positive on March 3) and an Indian driver.

The next big cluster is in Agra, where six family members have been confirmed positive for the virus. The person who tested positive for the virus in Delhi on Monday had apparently transmitted the virus to six of his family members.

UPDATE: Two people with “high viral load” have been detected in Telangana, says a PIB release.