Andhra Pradesh registered a significant spurt in the number of coronavirus cases with 17 more testing positive since Monday night, taking the tally to 40.
According to the latest bulletin issued by the state medical & health department, 14 of the 17 new coronavirus patients had attended the Jamaat congregation in the Nizamuddin area of New Delhi between March 13 and 15.
While one person was afflicted by the virus upon return from Madina, two others contracted the disease from a Mecca returnee in Karnataka.
Prakasam district recorded the highest number, of eight cases.
The bulletin said that a total of 164 samples had been tested since Monday night, of which 147 tested negative.
According to sources, some 2,000 Jamaat members from AP and Telangana participated in the religious convention where participants stayed together and were involved in religious discourses. A Jamaat leader from Hyderabad had supervised the program for participants from AP and Telangana. Most of the members reached their respective places in AP and Telangana between March 18 and 20.
The AP government has identified 369 people from the state that went to the congregation so far. The government has intensified efforts to quarantine them on a war footing.
The Telangana government had on Monday announced the death of six persons who had attended the Jamaat event in Delhi.