Over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with these positive cases, are under rigorous surveillance (Photo Credit: Image for Representational Purpose/Reuters)
New Delhi:
The total number of Covid-19 cases in India rose to 147 as Indian army reported its first case of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday. A 34-year-old soldier tested positive for the infection in Leh, army sources said.
News Nation has learnt that the soldier, a resident of Chuhot village in Leh, came in contact with his father who had returned from a pilgrimage in Iran by an Air India flight on February 20. His father is in quarantine at the Ladakh Heart Foundation since February 29 and tested positive for COVID-19 on March 6. Before being quarantined, the soldier's father had met the family members. The soldier was on leave from February 25 and rejoined duty on March 2, sources said, adding he was quarantined on March 7 and tested positive on March 16.
Even the soldier's brother has tested positive, PTI reported quoting sources. The soldier has been isolated at the Sonam Nurboo Memorial (SNM) Hospital. His sister, wife and two children are also quarantined at SNM Heart Foundation.
Sources said all those who have come in contact with the soldier have been quaratined but did not give the exact numbers immediately.
According to health officials, the total number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 147 with 10 fresh cases reported from various parts of the country. The cases include 25 foreign nationals and the three persons who died in Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra, officials. Over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with these positive cases, are under rigorous surveillance, the Ministry said.
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Maharashtra has 42 cases, including 3 foreigners and one death, while Kerala has recorded 27 cases which includes two foreign nationals. Delhi has so far reported ten positive cases which includes one foreigner while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 16 cases, including one foreigner. Karnataka has 11 coronavirus patients. The number of cases in Ladakh rose to 8 and Jammu and Kashmir three. Telangana has reported five cases which includes two foreigners. Rajasthan has also reported four cases including that of two foreigners. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Punjab have reported one case each. In Haryana, there are 16 cases, which include fourteen foreigners.
According to the ministry's data, 14 people have been discharged so far, including the three patients from Kerala who were discharged last month. Three persons infected with the virus have died so far, the latest casualty being a 64-year-old man from Mumbai with a travel history to Dubai who succumbed on Tuesday. While a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who returned from Saudi Arabia died last Tuesday, a 68-year-old woman in Delhi who had tested positive for coronavirus passed away at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on Friday night.
The government on Tuesday banned the entry of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India with immediate effect, according to an additional travel advisory. This instruction is a temporary measure and shall be in force till March 31 and will be reviewed subsequently.
With coronavirus cases swelling in the country, the government has also banned the entry of passengers from the European Union countries, Turkey and the UK from March 18 till March 31.
(With PTI Inputs)
