Punjab and Karnataka reported their first positive cases of coronavirus on Monday, 9 March, raising the total number of positive cases in the country to 45.
One of the two persons admitted in Amritsar Hospital, who hail from Hoshiarpur, tested positive for coronavirus, the report from NIV, Pune has confirmed.
“The man who returned to Amritsar by an Air India flight from Milan in Italy has tested positive for coronavirus. He had landed at Amritsar International Airport via Delhi on 4 March along with his two other family members.”Anurag Aggarwal, Punjab Principal Secretary (Health)
“The man's wife and child, however, have been tested negative for the corona-afflictions. However, they have been kept in isolation at an Amritsar hospital,” he added.
The total number of symptomatic cases of corona afflictions in Punjab as on Monday were ten, all of whom have been admitted to hospitals and kept under observation, said officials.
The total number of patients who have tested negative are 58, while those who are under observation at their homes as on March 8 were 1,388 in the state.
The Karnataka Department of Health and Family Welfare reported the first positive case in a software engineer who returned from the United States to Bengaluru on 1 March.
The man, in his 40s, who hails from Karnataka, travelled from Austic, Texas to New York City on 27 February and flew to Bengaluru via Dubai the next day. He was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru hospital on 8 March, after developing symptoms.
He was placed in isolation and his samples were sent to be tested at the National Institute if Virology in the city. Following his reports testing positive, his wife and two children have also been placed under home quarantine for the mandatory period of 28 days, reported ANI, quoting Minister Dr K Sudhakar.
His colleague, who travelled with him from the United States, has also been quarantined, reported ANI.
As the COVID-19 scare spreads – with 110,041 people from more than 90 countries infected and 3,825 people killed – India said it will send a military transport aircraft to Iran on Monday night to bring back Indians stranded in the nation, reported PTI, quoting official sources.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan chaired a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior officials on Monday, stating that states have been asked to strengthen laboratories and manpower to effectively deal with the coronavirus and form early rapid action teams.
Asserting that the government is prepared to deal with the outbreak, the minister stressed on the need for coordinated action between departments and agencies for activities such as contact tracing, community surveillance, hospital management and ensuring adequate personal protection equipment and masks.
A total of 8,74,708 international passengers from 8,255 flights have been screened at airports till now with 1,921 passengers identified as symptomatic, the ministry said. Of these, 177 have been hospitalised, 33,599 passengers are under observation and 21,867 passengers have completed their observation period.
(With inputs from PTI)
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