India on Saturday reported three more positive cases of Coronavirus, taking the total number of infected persons in the country to 34. The Union Health Ministry said that of the three new cases, two persons are from Ladakh with a travel history to Iran, while one is from Tamil Nadu who recently traveled to Oman. All three patients have been kept in isolation facilities and their condition is stated to be stable.
2 more people in Punjab contract COVID-19
Two more people in Punjab's Hoshiarpur are also suspected to have contracted the COVID-19 virus, according to news agency ANI. They both had recently returned from Italy, the hardest-hit European country. They were quarantined in an isolation ward in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar. However, they have not been confirmed as their final report is yet to come from the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
At least 150 people are under surveillance in Assam. They came in contact with an American tourist, who left for Bhutan and tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus. Assam Health Minister Pijush Hazarika said that workers and staff of a resort in Jorhat where the US tourist stayed have also been quarantined. "We have isolated the resort workers and staff... The floor of a hotel in Guwahati where he stayed has also been sanitised and isolated," Hazarika said.
PM Modi holds review meeting over Coronavirus outbreak in India
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today held a meeting with officials to review the preparations and steps being taken to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. The prime minister has directed officials to make provisions for critical care and identify locations for more quarantine facilities in case the virus spreads further
"All departments should work in convergence and action should be initiated for creating awareness in the community about the disease and the precautions to be taken," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying in an official statement.
Modi has also instructed the government officials to facilitate the early evacuation of Indians trapped in Iran where the virus has killed over 140 people so far. Earlier in the day, a flight from Tehran brought swab samples of Indian nationals in Iran who are suspected to have contacted the Coronavirus. The plane that landed in Delhi returned with several Iranian nationals.
The deadly Coronavirus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than one lakh people in as many as 94 countries and killed 3,515. While most of the deaths and infections are from China, the virus is rapidly spreading in several other countries like Iran, South Korea, Japan, Italy and now India as well.
