New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) At least nine more staffers, including three doctors, of Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the total number of infected people at the facility to above 40, officials said.

Thirty-one staffers of this Delhi government hospital, including 11 doctors, had tested positive for coronavirus till Friday, officials had said.

"The number of people from the hospital infected with COVID-19 has gone up to over 40. Three doctors also tested positive today," a senior official of the facility said.

Some of the doctors and other staffers have been admitted to the LNJP Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital and some private hospitals, while the rest have been sent to quarantine facilities, including one in Narela, a senior official said on Friday.

He said, the reason for such high number of infection is possible because there seems to be a "community transmission" of the disease in Jahangirpuri area of North West Delhi, where there are various containment zones.

"Many people have been coming to our hospital without any symptoms and that could have spread the disease," he added.

On Friday, besides doctors, nurses and paramedics, security guards, and deskpersons were also reported positive, the official said.

The first positive case at the hospital was reported on April 22 after tests were conducted on various staff, he said.

About five-six bodies have been brought from Jahangirpuri area to our hospital's morgue in last few days, and it is suspected they may have had COVID-19, so we have taken swabs from them for testing, the official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)