2 new cases of COVID-19 detected at Delhi, Telangana

    03-Mar-2020

2 new cases of COVID-19 d
New Delhi, Mar 2
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in a press conference, held on Monday, said that two positive cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed with one in Delhi and the other in Telangana. While one of the affected individuals has travel history from Italy, the second recently returned from Dubai.
This takes the total number of positive Coronavirus cases in India to five, with three patients being discharged after treatment in Kerala earlier this year.
Addressing questions about safety precautions in place to insulate India from the infection, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that screening of passengers is being conducted across 21 airports, 12 major seaports and 65 minor seaports.
"A total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports," added Dr Harsh Vardhan. He also said that travel restrictions may be extended to other countries as the situation develops.
At present, India has imposed a flying ban on China and Iran over the rising number of confirmed Covid19 patients in these countries.
Dr Harsh Vardhan also said that most people screened for the virus tested negative.
"We can operationalise 15-50 labs with all testing facilities," said Dr Harsh Vardhan. He added that around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent months have been recommended for community surveillance.
"We should not be in a panic situation and any one person can check or pose a query on the helpline numbers made available," Dr Harsh Vardhan said. He also reiterated the importance of personal hygiene precautions. India Today