Coronavirus outbreak: Government confirms 81 positive cases in India, cites steps taken

Amid the novel Coronavirus breakout, the Health Ministry confirmed that so far 81 positive cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the country. Out of these 81 cases, 3 from Kerala were treated and discharged, in addition, 7 more from Safdarjung have also recovered while 64 cases of the 81 confirmed are of Indian nationals, 16 Italian nationals, and one Canadian national, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary Health Ministry on Friday. 

Speaking to media on Friday, Lav Agarwal said, "It is important to understand that it is not a health emergency. We are trying to support the initiative taken by the state in terms of managing the situation. We have 56 collections centres. We hope we continue to remain in the same state where not many tests are to be done."

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'1131 people evacuated so far'

Elaborating on the steps taken by the government to rescue citizens stranded abroad, Agarwal said, "So far the government has evacuated 1,131 people including 48 individuals from countries such as Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, United States, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru. Till date, 890 evacuees from these 19 affected countries have been discharged, after 14 days of isolation and having tested negative."

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Furthermore, he added, "We have spared no efforts from getting our people back from these Covid-19 affected countries. We have sent scientists, equipment for labs, regents and brought back samples for testing from these countries. So far 1,199 samples have been collected in Iran and brought to India for testing. We have also operated an airforce flight to bring back 58 passengers from Iran on March 10.  We are preparing to operate flights to bring back Indians who have tested negative and are coordinating treatment of positive people in Iran as per protocol."

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Coronavirus and precautions to be taken 

The coronavirus (CoV) is a novel strain in the large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, as per WHO. While there is no vaccine to protect against this family of viruses, WHO has released a list of precautions that must be followed amid the worldwide outbreak of the virus. 

• Wash your hands frequently
• Maintain social distancing
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
• Practice respiratory hygiene
• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care as soon as possible
• Stay informed and follow the advice given by your healthcare provider, stay away from fake news 

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