Back from Wuhan. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday said all evacuees from Wuhan, China, have tested negative for novel coronavirus.
“All 645 evacuees from Wuhan have tested negative,” said the Health Ministry in a statement released on Thursday.
In addition, 510 samples have been tested by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) network laboratories of which all have tested negative except for 3 already reported positive. “The 3 positive cases are clinically stable,” said the ministry.
It also said that as on February 6, 138,750 passengers from 1,265 flights had been screened for novel coronavirus illness. Till now, no new case had been detected, except three positive cases in Kerala.
“Community surveillance and contact tracing is going on by Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme for 6,558 persons across 32 states and UTs,” said the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the fourth Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) meeting was held on Thursday chaired by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to discuss various technical issues, including review period of follow up required for asymptomatic travellers from China.
“Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in coordination with central Ministries and all States and Union territories is taking adequate measures for management of novel coronavirus in India,” said the ministry.
“In case of fever, cough and symptoms of pneumonia, seek medical attention immediately. The ministry also provided a helpline number as well as an email ID in case of any doubts about the disease.
“For any technical query on 2019-nCOV call the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Helpline at +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com,” said the ministry.
The death toll due to the fast-spreading novel coronavirus outbreak in China has increased to 563, authorities said on Thursday, while the number of confirmed cases also rose to 28,018.
The National Health Commission on Wednesday received reports of 3,694 new confirmed cases and 73 deaths on Wednesday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Xinhua news agency reported.
Among the deaths, 70 were in Hubei province and one each in Tianjin, Heilongjiang and Guizhou.
The commission added that 3,859 patients remained in severe condition, and 24,702 people were suspected of being infected with the virus.
A total of 1,153 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.
The Commission said 282,813 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 21,365 were discharged on Wednesday, with 186,354 others still under medical observation.
Meanwhile, a Chinese newborn has been tested positive for the killer virus, just 30 hours after birth, becoming the youngest case recorded so far, the BBC said in a report.
The baby, who’s mother was diagnosed with the virus while she was pregant, was born on February 2 in a hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Similarly, a six-month-old baby in Singapore was known to have tested positive, as well as an eight-year-old from Wuhan who is currently in Australia.
The virus has spread overseas, with 25 nations confirming a total of 191 cases, although there has so far been only two deaths outside mainland China in the Philippines and China.
The other countries where coronavirus cases have been reported are Japan (45), Thailand (25), Singapore (24), Hong Kong (21), South Korea (18), Australia (13), Germany (12), Taiwan (11), the US (11), Malaysia (10), Macao (10), Vietnam (10), France (six), UAE (five), Canada (five), India (three), Italy (two), the UK (two), Philippines (two), Russia (two), Cambodia (one), Finland (one), Nepal (one), Sri Lanka (one), Spain (one) and Sweden (one). (IANS)