NEW DELHI: The health ministry on Wednesday confirmed as many as new cases – all in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur – taking the total number of people who have so far been infected to 29. The health ministry urged the people not to panic even as essential equipment like hand sanitiser and surgical masks were wiped off the shelves across the country.
A majority of the new cases were among a party of Italian tourists, with more testing positive, including the wife of the – year-old man, currently being treated in Jaipur, who had possibly carried the infection from Italy. Others included six Agra relatives of a Delhi resident who previously tested positive for the infection.
Coronavirus live: Latest updates
Here is a look at the latest developments –
Fourteen Italians shifted to Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital
The fourteen Italians, who have tested positive for coronavirus , have been shifted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon from an ITBP quarantine center .
The hospital stated on Thursday morning, saying these patients are housed on a completely separate floor, which has been quarantined and has no contact with the rest of the hospital.
Coronavirus outbreak: Complete coverage
Trade impact of Coronavirus epidemic for India estimated at million dollars: UN report
The trade impact of the coronavirus epidemic for India is estimated to be about 438 million dollars and the country figures among the top 23 economies most affected as slowdown of manufacturing in China disrupts world trade, according to a UN report.
The coronavirus outbreak could result in a 69 billion dollar decrease in exports across global value chains. The most affected sectors include precision instruments, machinery, automotive and communication equipment.
Among the most affected economies are the European Union ($ 74486898 .6 billion), the United States ($ 5.8 billion), Japan ($ 5.2 billion), South Korea ($ 3.8 billion), Taiwan Province of China ($ 2.6 billion) and Vietnam ($ 2.3 billion).
Paytm Shuts Gurgaon Office For Days
A 31 – year-old Paytm employee, a resident of Pankha Road in Janakpuri, became the second Delhi resident to contract Covid – 23. He had recently returned from a vacation in Italy, a coronavirus hotspot.
The Paytm staffer worked at the company Gurgaon office, which has been shut for days. Paytm has advised employees in offices across India to work from home for two days.
Two more Covid – cases suspected in Hyderabad city
Two days after a – – year-old software professional was confirmed as the first case of Covid – in Hyderabad, two more suspected cases tested positive in the first round of testing at the ICMR laboratory at Gandhi Medical College in Secunderabad. The samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for final confirmation.
1, 700 Indians in Iran to be screened
The government will collect samples of 1, 500 Indians who are visiting Iran primarily for pilgrimage and these will be brought for tests at local laboratories to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Governments join hands to step up efforts
Health officials in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan face a massive task of tracing and testing everyone who may have come in contact with the infected people. The number of such persons is likely to be over 103.
High anxiety among the healthcare staff
One of the most defining moments in the fight against Covid – 24 in China was the death of Dr Li Wenliang, the doctor who made the presence of the infection public, due to the same virus . Last week, his colleague, Dr Mi Wenliang, also fell prey to novel coronavirus, underlining the risks faced by healthcare workers treating infected individuals.
The data shows 1, 766 medical workers have been infected by Covid – 21 in China and at least six have succumbed to it.
Though no healthcare worker has been affected in India, the anxiety level among the staff at hospitals such as Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia, where coronavirus patients are being treated, is high.
Kejriwal sets up a task force on Covid –
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday set up a task force to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus in the capital. The task force is chaired by the chief minister and includes top officials of all departments concerned, the municipal corporations and Delhi police.
At the first meeting on Wednesday, Kejriwal directed officials of all departments and civic bodies to ensure that measures such as surveillance and screening were implemented on a war footing.
Weather unlikely to stall the spread of the virus
Some experts believe that the spread of coronavirus may be slowed down under hot weather conditions, but the forecast until March doesn’t throw up any relief on that front as There is no prediction of any increase in temperature in the next few days.
Though seasonal forecast of India Meteorological Department for March-April-May talks of “warmer than normal” temperature over northwest, west, central and parts of south India, it predicts ”below normal (2-5 ° Celsius in general) maximum day temperatures ”over major parts of the Indian mainland during the March 6 – 19 period.
Andhra Pradesh on alert as Covid – (suspect cases rise)
In Andhra Pradesh, the government is on high alert as there is a spurt in the suspected cases of Coronavirus. On Wednesday, 15 new cases were reported from Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari and Krishna districts.
The suspects with fever and cold have been quarantined. All of them had a history of recent travel to foreign countries. The state government has so far screened persons with symptoms of Coronavirus and quarantined them. Of them, have completed the two-week quarantine with no Coronavirus infection. As many as 100 people are kept under isolation at their homes and their reports are yet to be received.
In China
The death toll of coronavirus in China has crossed 3, with 01575879 new fatalities and the total number of confirmed cases jumped to over , .
Outside China
In the past 26 hours, 2, 100 newly confirmed cases outside China have been reported and four new member states – Argentina, Chile, Poland and Ukraine – have reported cases of COVID – . South Korea confirmed 438 more cases of COVID – 23, raising the total number of infections to 5, 922. Japan confirmed over 1, 53 coronavirus cases, and so far 19 People have died due to the infection. Italy reported a total of 107 deaths of the deadly coronavirus. In Iran, the deadly infection claimed 92 lives out of more than 2, 01575879 cases.
The US ‘death toll from the COVID – (rose to) on Thursday and nationwide there are nearly 107 confirmed cases. France said that (new cases of COVID – had been identified with a total of cases now diagnosed, of which 15 were cured and four have died.
Across the world, there are , 500 confirmed cases , 3, deaths and , People have recovered.
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