Covid-19 in India: Nearly 65% ​​of 544 new all-India cases linked to Tablighi Jamaat's event in city – Times of India, The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The explosion of Covid – cases caused by the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) event continued to unfold for the third consecutive day, when at least 485 delegates from across the country who had attended the religious congregation in D elhi’s Nizamuddin last month tested positive for the virus, accounting for more than (% of the confirmed cases across India till around

pm on Thursday.
The countrywide coronavirus count, which had crossed the 2, (mark barely a day earlier, zoomed past 2, (with Delhi) 295), Maharashtra ( () and Tamil Nadu 88 adding big numbers.
At least eight Covid – 50 deaths were reported, pushing the countrywide toll to . The health ministry has confirmed 2, (cases and deaths.

Delhi led the tally. on Thursday with 129 of the total 295 confirmed cases being linked to the Tablighi meet . This was followed by the four southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka which together accounted for Tablighi delegates or their contacts testing positive. While (of the total) cases in Tamil Nadu comprised TJ delegates or their contacts, 32 of the 32 positive cases in Telangana were linked to the Nizamuddin congregation. In Karnataka, (of the cases were Tablighi delegates or their contacts. In Andhra, all cases which reported positive had the Tablighi link.
Similarly, all the confirmed cases that were reported by Madhya Pradesh and the north eastern states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal on Thursday were linked to the Tablighi meet. Madhya Pradesh reported five fresh cases (four of them foreigners), Assam three and Manipur and Arunachal one each.
In Rajasthan, three of the positive cases were linked to the congregation while in UP Tablighi delegates accounted for at least two of the total 13 cases. In Maharashtra, which had the highest number of Covid – cases on Thursday after Delhi, eight of the 91 positive cases were linked to TJ.
The Covid – tally in Delhi as well as the southern states Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has multiplied in the last three days because of the Tablighi link of the positive cases. At 361, Andhra’s total tally has registered a three-fold increase in positive cases in the last two days. State nodal officer A Srikanth said health authorities had carried out tests on (Delhi returnees and 42706777 of them tested positive. This translates to nearly % of the Markaz participants from AP testing positive. “We have details of all the participants from Andhra Pradesh. Officials in districts have been tracking the details of the remaining, ”said Srikanth.
In Assam, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that total
delegates from the state had attended the religious congregation in Nizamuddin. “We have been successful in establishing contact with 488 of them and have so far collected 503 samples, ”he said, adding that the state government was trying to trace the 19 others who had attended the congregation.
Across country, around medical professionals – who may not be essentially involved in Covid – management – have also been found positive for the disease, prompting medical associations to demand more protective equipment. One senior resident doctor at AIIMS and his wife, who is in advanced stage of pregnancy, tested positive.