Hyderabad, March 4 (TIWN) Out of 88 persons who came into contact with the techie tested positive for COVID-19, as many as 45 were admitted to government-run Gandhi Hospital here, Telangana Health Minister Etela Rajender said on Tuesday.

He said samples from these people were collected and the results were awaited. The authorities have identified 85 people who came into contact with the techie.

They will be kept in isolation for 14 days. "The remaining people will also be brought to the hospital and subjected to the coronavirus test," he said.

Those brought to hospital and screened include the techie''s family members, those who travelled with him in the bus from Bengaluru to Hyderabad and the staff at a private hospital where he was treated for few days before he approached the Gandhi Hospital.

Rajender said the condition of the techie was stable and had improved since Monday.

The man, hailing from Hyderabad and working for a Bengaluru-based IT firm, is suspected to have picked up virus in Dubai, where he came in contact with some company representatives from Hong Kong. After returning from Dubai, he spent two days in Bengaluru, meeting company employees and others.

After reaching Hyderabad by bus, he approached a private hospital with fever and flu-like symptoms. He continued his treatment as an outpatient for five days and was subsequently admitted there. As there was no improvement in his condition, he came to Gandhi Hospital on March 1.