Coronavirus positive Bengaluru techie travelled to Hyderabad on bus, fellow passengers under watch

The man who tested positive for the Covid-19 disease, or coronavirus, in Telangana, has been identified as a 24-year-old techie from Bengaluru. The man tested positive for coronavirus in Hyderabad and has now been placed under isolation. His is one of the two new fresh cases of coronavirus reported in India on Tuesday. Earlier, three students had tested positive in Kerala; all were discharged after treatment.

On Monday, the Telangana health minister confirmed that a 24-year-old techie from Bengaluru had tested positive for coronavirus in Hyderabad. He had traveled to Hyderabad on a bus. The government is now tracking down and placed under watch his fellow bus passengers.

"He initially stayed in the Mahendrahills area of Hyderabad and was later admitted to Apollo Hospital. Yesterday evening, he was referred to the Gandhi Hospital where he was found positive for Covid-19. Later, a separate report from a lab in Pune confirmed that he was infected by a coronavirus," Telangana health minister Etela Rajender said on Monday.

The minister also said that the government has identified around 80 people who were in contact with the techie. These include his fellow bus passengers, family, doctors, and staff of Apollo Hospital. All of them will be placed under watch for symptoms of coronavirus.

'We have also shared details of his company and of the bus with our counterparts in Karnataka," Rajender said, adding that the government is fully prepared to deal with the threat of coronavirus.

Covid-19 first originated in China and has since spread to more than 65 countries. According to a tally by news agency Reuters, there have been over 89,000 cases of the virus globally, the majority in China. The illness has killed more than 3,000 people as of Monday. Caused by a 'novel' form of coronavirus, there is no vaccine or treatment of Covid-19 yet.