On Thursday, January 30, 2020, India reported its first positive case of novel coronavirus (nCoV). The Union ministry of health and family welfare in an official statement said a student from Kerala, studying in Wuhan University has travelled to India is tested positive for the virus.

The statement said that the patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolated ward at the hospital. His condition is stable and is closely monitored.  The Indian government has said that it is ready to handle any outbreak in the country. An official statement said that thermal screening sensors are operational and few more equipment’s are being acquired. The immigration and other staff members at the airports have been sensitized and dedicated ambulances are also been placed. Arrangement of medical & para-medical staff is being prepared for round-the-clock service. Hospitals have prepared isolation wards and for any emergency. Also, personal protection equipment’s and masks are available in ample quantity in all the States/UTs.

Indian states and union territories have started thermal and symptomatic screening of passengers at all the 21 identified airports, according to the ministry. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to now, 15 countries, besides China, have reported a total of 68 confirmed cases.

On Thursday, cornavirus death toll in China has climbed to 170, according to information on a real-time tracking portal being maintained by John Hopkins University. Confirmed cases numbered 7,783 across the world, with as many as 7,678 in mainland China till Thursday.

Jugal Kishore, director professor & head of department-community medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare), New Delhi has said that human coronaviruses can cause mild disease like common cold, while others can cause more severe disease such as MERS, SARS. Few coronaviruses that are found in animals can infect humans –also known as zoonotic diseases.

There is no vaccine or drug available against the virus and the cases are managed according to their symptomatology. NCoV is fatal but exact fatalness is not estimated and the behavior of the virus in the new population is also not known. Hence, prevention and strict surveillance is very important in India.

The Ministry of Ayush has introduced an advisory to boost immunity to keep any illness away in stir of the spread of coronavirus across the world.

The Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) will be continued by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday to consider declaring a global public health emergency. The committee will also guide on recommendations to manage the outbreak.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/coronavirus-update-india-reports-first-case-in-kerala-11580371997746.html