19 new coronavirus cases found in Madhya Pradesh, total 66

The number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh went up to 66 with 19 new COVID-19 patients being reported on Tuesday, most of them in Indore, a health official said here.

It was the highest increase in the number of cases in the state on a single day so far.

Seventeen of the 19 new cases were detected in Indore, said state Health Department's Commissioner Pratik Hajela in the evening.

A case each was reported from Bhopal and Ujjain, he added.

So far, Indore, an industrial hub, has recorded 44 cases, followed by Jabalpur (eight), Ujjain (six), Bhopal (four) and Shivpuri and Gwalior (two each).

The total number of patients includes five persons who died (three from Indore and two from Ujjain), the official said.

The new coronavirus patient who was detected in Bhopal was a 25-year-old man with travel history to London, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Sudhir Deharia said.

He arrived in Mumbai from London and traveled to Delhi before reaching Indore, Deharia said.

He was quarantined by the authorities when he arrived in Indore, but he fled from there and went to Bhopal where he was admitted to a hospital on Monday. After his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the AIIMS here where he tested positive for coronavirus, Deharia said.

Another person, who was brought from Neemuch to Bhopal in an ambulance and admitted to AIIMS on Monday night, died, the official said.

But his test report came out negative for the virus, said Bhopal district collector Tarun Pithode.

On Monday night, a 49-year-old woman coronavirus patient died in Indore, taking the number of deaths in Madhya Pradesh due to COVID-19 to five.

The Bhopal district administration has divided the city into four zones in a bid to implement the lockdown effectively.

No vehicle would be allowed to go from one zone to another. Private four-wheelers, except those engaged in essential services, would not be allowed on roads, a district administration official said.