The number of novel coronavirus cases rose to 31 in India on Friday (Photo Credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay )
New Delhi:
A man from Delhi with a travel history to Thailand and Malaysia has tested positive for COVID19, taking the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India to 31, health ministry officials said on Friday. The latest case is the third in Delhi-NCR. The 30 other positive cases include a 45-year-old man from Delhi's Mayur Vihar and six of his relatives from Agra whom he had recently visited. Another is a Paytm employee who works in Gurgaon and lives in west Delhi. They are all being treated at the Safdarjung hospital.
A middle-aged man from Ghaziabad, who tested positive for the virus, is being treated at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in the national capital. A 24-year-old man from Hyderabad, who has also tested positive for coronavirus, has been isolated.
Besides, 16 members of a tourist group from Italy and their Indian guide have been found infected by the virus. While one Italian man and his wife are being treated at Jaipur's SMS hospital, 14 members of the group and their Indian guide, who were quarantined at the ITBP camp in Chhawla, have been admitted to the Medanta hospital in Gurgaon.
The total figure of positive cases includes the first three reported from Kerala last month. All the three persons have been discharged following recovery. According to a latest advisory, all international passengers irrespective of their nationality are mandated to undergo a universal medical screening. Adequate screening measures have been put in place and nine more airports have been added to the existing 21, bringing the total number to 30 airports where screening of passengers is being carried out.
Meanwhile, in a suspected coronavirus case, a man from Raipur, who returned to India from Kenya through Dubai, has been put under home quarantine.
The central government has asked states to form rapid response teams at district, block and village levels to combat the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that all primary schools in the national capital will remain closed till March 31. The primary classes of Kendriya Vidyalayas in Delhi will also remain closed till March 31.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed governments to pull out 'all the stops' in the fight against the COVID-19 as the global march of the novel coronavirus outbreak continued. According to various sources, the number of novel coronavirus cases in the world rose to 97,510, including 3,345 deaths across 85 countries and territories so far. More than 2,699 new contaminations and 100 new deaths were identified on Thursday.
"This is not a drill. This is not the time for giving up. This is not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva. "Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades. Now is the time to act on those plans."
The novel coronavirus outbreak, that emerged at the end of December in Wuhan, has so far infected 80,409 people in China with 3,012 fatalities, according to date collected by the news agency AFP. Outside China, a total of 17,101 cases have been recorded around the world since the epidemic began, including 333 deaths said the the AFP report. According to AFP, this assessment was carried out using data collected from the competent national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO).
(With Agency Inputs)
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Lok Sabha has issued an advisory for Members of Parliament (MPs) and visitors, over Coronavirus. The advisory calls for restrictions on large gatherings and unnecessary visitors.
Lok Sabha issues advisory for Members of Parliament (MPs) and visitors, over #CoronaVirus. pic.twitter.com/BqdwpLcZOY
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2020
First flight from Iran will carry around 300 swabs of Indians suspected of having coronavirus and the flight is likely to land tonight, official says.
A 13-member group of tourists from Iran have been quarantined at a hotel in Amritsar and have been asked to not go out till their medical examination is completed, an official said.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has directed chemists to sell coronavirus kits only on doctors' prescription, official says.
The CISF has postponed its anniversary parade and related celebrations scheduled for next week across the country, due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials say.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is "very much on schedule," BCCI President Sourav Ganguly says, asserting that all measures will be in place to tackle the coronavirus threat.
Reserve Bank governor Shaktikanta Das assures that the central bank will take every measure needed to secure the economy against the challenges arising from the coronavirus epidemic.
Pop star Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom decide to postpone their wedding in Japan in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
A Twenty20 league in Nepal, which was to feature West Indies swashbuckler Chris Gayle among others, postponed due to coronavirus threat, event organisers say.
Genetic sequencing tests carried out on the pet dog of a confirmed coronavirus patient in Hong Kong, which could reveal if the virus has mutated or not, official says.
There is no coronavirus infection in the state. People should not panic but at the same time do not be careless as it is an airborne disease. We are doing 24x7 screening in Chennai. We also have dedicated ambulances on standby: Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar
Military hospitals to establish isolation wards and have separate OPDs for screening of symptomatic cases to prevent avoidable transmission. Service hospitals will work in synergy with local civil medical authorities and designated Indian Council of Medical Research labs: Indian Army
Local Military authorities will exercise suitable control to avoid/postpone all non-essential mass gatherings till the situation improves. Regular health information education & counseling activities to be carried out at all military stations: Indian Army
In consonance with various advisories issued by the Government, Indian Army HQ has issued detailed instructions with respect to preparations & emergency response in tackling the COVID-19 virus.
International Indian Film Academy Awards has been postponed with due regard to the growing concerns around the spread of the COVID-19 virus and, after consulting the Madhya Pradesh government. It was originally scheduled at the end of March.
It is advised that mass gatherings may be avoided or possibly be postponed till the disease spread is contained. In the case of any such gatherings, States may take necessary action to guide organizers on precautions to be taken: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
One more COVID-19 case in Delhi (resident of Uttam Nagar) has been confirmed, taking the total number of positive cases in the country to 31. The patient has a travel history from Thailand and Malaysia: Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry
South Korean health authorities reported 518 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing to 6,284 the total number of infections nationwide, according to Yonhap news agency. The report quoting the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as saying that 42 people, mostly elderly with underlying illnesses, have died.
Palestinian government confirmed the number of coronavirus cases in the occupied West Bank had risen to seven. It declared a two-week ban on tourists visiting cities and sites including Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that all primary schools in the national capital will remain closed till March 31 to prevent the possibility of spread of coronavirus. Primary classes of Kendriya Vidyalayas in the national capital will also remain closed till March 31.
According to various sources, the number total number of of novel coronavirus cases in the world reached 97,510 at the end of Thursday. As many as 3,345 deaths across 85 countries and territories have been reported so far with more than 2,699 new contaminations and 100 new deaths identified on Thursday.
