26 more health workers positive for Coronavirus at Mumbai's now shut Wockhardt Hospital

At least 26 more health care workers at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus on Tuesday taking the tally of cases in the hospital to 52. The entire hospital was been shut down and declared a containment zone on Monday after 26 of the hospital's medical staff tested positive for COVID-19. A ‘containment zone’ is an area where entry and exit is completely restricted to prevent the disease from spreading to other areas. 

Virus spread through a 70-yr-old patient

As per the statement released by the Hospital, the 70-year-old cardiac patient who had the virus was admitted on March 17. However, he showed COVID-19 symptoms only on March 26 after which he was moved into the segregated COVID-19 zone of the hospital. At the same time, it admitted that the hospital staff was "unknowingly" exposed to the aforesaid patient for many days.

The Wockhardt statement added that this was the first positive COVID-19 case in the hospital. It added that it was following Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's protocol while treating its staff. The authorities have banned the entry and exit from the hospital unless all patients test negative twice consecutively.

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Maharashtra on Monday recorded 7 COVID-19 deaths, including a 30-year old pregnant woman, and the total positive cases in the state shot up by 120 from Sunday's 748 to 868, health officials said.

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Mumbai recorded four new Coronavirus deaths - all males - and the number of positive cases increased by 57, the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Monday. This has taken Mumbai's total toll to 34, and the number of positive cases to 526 till date, the highest in India. Till date, the BMC has declared 226 'containment zones' in the city which are being updated regularly.

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Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 4,281 with 3,851 of them being active cases. The death toll has risen to 111, while 319 people have been cured and discharged, as per the Health Ministry's update on Monday evening.

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(With agency inputs)