Modi reviews situation as 3 more test positive
2 fresh cases in Ladakh, 1 in TN; Hoshiarpur man, son show symptoms
NEWDELHI/AMRITSAR: India on Saturday reported three more positive cases of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the total number of infected people in the country to 34, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting to discuss measures to contain the outbreak that has killed more than 3,500 people and affected at least 100,000 others globally.
In India, five other people — two each from Punjab and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and one in Agra — appeared to show signs of the disease, according to preliminary tests that were yet to be confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.
Of the cases confirmed by the Union health ministry on Saturday, two Indians were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the Union Territory of Ladakh. They have a travel history from Iran, one of the worst-affected countries outside China, where at least 3,000 people have died and 80,000 others have been infected.
The third new case was confirmed in Tamil Nadu, the first for the state. The patient is a 45-yearold man who recently returned from Oman, the Union health ministry and state minister C Vijayabaskar said. All three patients are in a stable condition.
The country has reported 34 cases of the disease scattered across Delhi-NCR, Jaipur and Hyderabad apart from Ladakh and Tamil Nadu.
Saturday’s developments came as Prime Minister Modi discussed with Union health minister Harsh Vardhan the country’s preparedness to deal with the outbreak.
At the meeting, the PM asked officials to identify locations for sufficient quarantine facilities and make provisions for critical care in case the disease spreads further in the country. “... action should be initiated for creating awareness in community about the disease and the precautions to be taken,” Modi was quoted as saying in an official statement.
Among the suspected cases, two men from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, who returned from Italy on Wednesday, showed symptoms of the disease and have been isolated, doctors at Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev Hospital said.
“The 44-year-old man and his 15-year-old son showed symptoms of the virus on their arrival at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar,” civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said on Saturday, adding that the duo have tested positive for the virus in the preliminary test. “Their confirmation reports from National Institute of Virology, Pune, are yet to come,” Dr Raman Sharma, GNDH medical superintendent , said. The man’s wife, 39, was also screened and showed no symptoms of coronavirus.
Now settled in Italy, the family originally belongs to Khanoor village of Hoshiarpur district.
Two Indians in J&K — who have a travel history to virus-hit Italy and South Korea — have been quarantined, a spokesperson of the J&K administration said on Saturday. After being diagnosed with a high viral load at the Government Medical College, Jammu, earlier this week, they fled the hospital but were brought back within hours.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, a seventh person, who was in contact with an infected Delhi resident, is suspected to have contracted the infection.
AMRITSAR: The health department has screened 114 people, including 10 crew members, who were onboard the Air India’s DelhiAmritsar flight with the fatherson duo, who returned from coronavirus-hit Italy on Wednesday (March 4), and tested positive for the disease in the preliminary test.
The 44-year-old man and his 15-year-old son were admitted to the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), Amritsar, after they showed symptoms of the disease on their arrival at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar, through Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, from the European country. The man’s wife, 39, was also screened and showed no symptoms of coronavirus.
Now settled in Italy, the family originally belongs to Khanoor village of Hoshiarpur district. While the man is settled in Italy since 2008, his wife and son went to the European country in 2012.
The family took an Air India flight from Milan on March 3 and landed at Delhi airport. The next day, they took an Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar.
“Of the 104 co-passengers, 18 of whom are from Amritsar, were screened by the health department,” Amritsar civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said on Saturday, adding that none of them showed any symptom of coronavirus. The 104 passengers have been told to stay in house quarantine and the health department will keep a close watch on them for next 28 days, she added.
3 FLU CORNERS IN AMRITSAR
The health department on Thursday set up three “flu corners” in Amritsar urging people to get them tested voluntarily. The self-declaration flu corners have been set up at the Golden
Temple, Durgiana Temple and Bhagwaan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, where lakhs of devotees from various countries pay obeisance daily. Doctors are also present 27X7 at the flu corners to spread awareness and screen the people.
The health department is also screening passengers at the airport and at the Attari-Wagah border. Banners have been put up at the airport with details of the virus, including symptoms, cause, treatment and contact numbers of the health department. The Border Security Force (BSF) has already announced that it will hold the daily retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border on the Indian side without the presence of visitors.
JIO, BSNL’S CORONA CALLER TUNES
SANGRUR: Reliance Jio and BSNL have enabled a new caller tune for all users across the nation to spread the awareness of the deadly coronavirus. The caller tune basically starts with a coughing sound and then leads to some safety measures that consumers should follow in order to stay away from the virus.
The centre has directed the mobile operators to play caller tune that offer detailed information regarding prevention against Covid-19. The caller tune has been aimed to make the people aware of symptoms and precautions to stop the disease from further infections.