12 more cases in a day, Karnataka officials point to cluster infection

The six-member cluster is one of the largest in Karnataka since detection of the virus began in early March. A large contingent from the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border region embarked on the Haj pilgrimage.

“We have deputed a senior health official of the rank of joint director to investigate the contacts… We are trying to cross-reference and ensure that all contacts will be in government quarantine,’’ state Health Secretary Jawaid Akhtar said.

The cluster includes a 23-year-old man, a 70-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman, a 38-year-old man and an 18-year-old youth. They were all admitted to a government-designated hospital in Chikkaballapur.

A second cluster of four patients has emerged around a 51-year-old man in Bengaluru, who returned from London on March 13 and tested positive. The man’s 21-year-old son was among the 12 who tested positive on Saturday. Two women who worked at the man’s residence and a security guard also tested positive.

In another cluster, the wife (54) and two daughters — aged 28 and 23 — of a man who returned from Dubai and tested positive in Bhatkal area of coastal Karnataka have also tested positive, health officials said. The 65-year-old man arrived in Mumbai from Dubai on March 18 and travelled by train to Uttara Kannada, where he tested positive.

An earlier case of cluster infection was seen in the case of a 76-year-old man who died on March 10 after returning from Mecca. His 46-year-old daughter and 63-year-old family doctor also tested positive. The domestic help of a 67-year-old woman in Bengaluru, who returned from Dubai on March 9, also tested positive.