India reported first case of the novel coronavirus today.
India reported its first case of Coronavirus-infected patient on Thursday. "One positive case of Novel Coronavirus patient, of a student studying in Wuhan University, has been reported in Kerala," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The student was kept isolation and is being closely monitored.
Thousands of foreigners are among millions of people stuck in China's Wuhan that is the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus.
Here are the highlights on the spread of coronavirus:
People who have returned from China after Jan 15 to be tested for coronavirusThe government has said that all those who have come from China after January 15 will be tested for novel coronavirus as there is an incubation period for the virus.
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a meeting and reviewed the preparedness to deal with the threat of the spread of novel coronavirus.
ANI Input
Test results of 9 samples awaited in TelanganaResults of tests on samples of nine people from Telangana for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus were awaited, health authorities told news agency PTI on Thursday.
So far, no positive case of the virus has been detected in the state since its outbreak in China where it has claimed 170 lives in the past weeks.
Of the nine people, who had returned from China, two are under observation in hospitals while the others are in their houses and being monitored by health officials, they said.
PTI Input Suspected coronavirus patient admitted to AIIMS in Rishikesh
A woman suspected of suffering from coronavirus was admitted to Rishikesh's All-India Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday, the first such case in Uttarakhand. The woman, a student of medical science in Kunming City of China's Yunnan province, had come to India on January 22, an AIIMS official said. She has been kept at the isolation ward of the AIIMS and her blood samples have been sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology for examination, AIIMS PRO Harish Thapliyal said.
Goa Asks Centre To Install Thermal Scanners At Dabolim Airport
The Goa government has urged Union Health Ministry to install thermal scanners at the state's lone airport to detect suspected cases of the novel coronavirus, whose outbreak has been reported from China.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said he met Union health ministry officials and requested them to install scanners at the international airport in Dabolim, around 25km from here, where hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists arrive everyday.
Three discharged in Mumbai
Maharashtra health officials discharged three patients quarantined at a hospital under the suspicion of coronavirus infection after their second samples also tested negative for the deadly pathogen, an official said.
Also, two more patients were admitted in the hospital on Thursday on suspicion of their possible exposure to the coronavirus, whose outbreak was reported from Wuhan city of China, he said.
Strict vigil at seaports in Tamil Nadu, PuducherryStrict vigil is being maintained at seaports in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry against suspected coronavirus-infected ship crew, said a senior official of Chennai Port Trust. "We collect the pre-arrival health data of the crew from all the ships even before they berth. The details include the body temperature of the crew," S Senthilnathan, Port Health Officer, told IANS.
Data about crew joining the ship midway will also be collected.
According to the official, special focus is on ships coming from Chinese ports with or without Chinese crew; ship though it has not called on a Chinese port but has one or more Chinese crew and one or more crew who are not Chinese, but boarded the ship at a Chinese port.
"Doing Our Best To Treat Coronavirus": Health MinisterHealth Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the centre is making best efforts to diagnose and treat the disease. "Even before the first confirmed case we were doing our best to ensure diagnosis and then to treat it if any positive cases of Coronavirus arise," Harsh Vardhan said.
He further said that an official release of information related to the first confirmed case of the disease in India will follow soon.
The Union Health Minister further said that the measures being taken by the government had led to the detection of the patient who tested positive for Novel Coronavirus.
"We are taking many measures, including screening of passengers at more than 20 airports, especially those who are coming in with a travel history of China. That is how we could trace this patient," he said.
ANI Input
No confirmation about any Indian affected by coronavirus: MEA
Ministry of foreign affairs has said that it doesn't have any information about any Indian affected by Coronavirus.
First coronavirus in Kerala
One positive case of Novel Coronavirus patient, of a student studying in Wuhan University, has been reported in Kerala.