Coronavirus: India To Take Steps For Evacuation Of Indians From Wuhan; Sri Lanka Confirms First Case

Sri Lankan Health officials on Monday confirmed the first case of coronavirus, involving a 43-year-old Chinese woman, local media reported.

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New Delhi: The Centre on Monday decided to take steps for the possible evacuation of around 300 Indians from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the place where the coronavirus broke out. The Cabinet Secretary reviewed the situation arising out of Coronavirus Outbreak in China, which was attended by Secretaries in Ministries of Health, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Labour, Defence, I&B & Member-Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, DG (Armed Forces Medical Services). The Cabinet Secretary was informed that till yesterday, 137 flights have been screened (total cumulative passengers 29707) and samples of 12 passengers were referred to National Institute of Virology, Pune. No positive case has been reported so far. It was also decided that steps may be taken to prepare for the possible evacuation of Indian nationals in Wuhan. Accordingly, MEA will request the Chinese authorities. Ministry of Civil Aviation & Ministry of Health will make arrangements for transport & quarantine facilities respectively. 3756 passengers screened at Mumbai International Airport till Jan 26 3756 passengers screened at Mumbai International Airport till Jan 26- In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, as many as 3756 passengers have been screened at the Mumbai International Airport till January 26. Out of these, 15 passengers belong to Maharashtra. They have been kept under observation over telephone for the next 28 days as per the Central government's instructions, the State government said. So far, six patients having symptoms similar to coronavirus have been admitted in hospitals across Maharashtra among which four are admitted in Mumbai's Kasturba hospital while two are admitted in Pune's Naidu hospital. Sri Lanka confirms first case of coronavirus: Sri Lankan Health officials on Monday confirmed the first case of coronavirus, involving a 43-year-old Chinese woman, local media reported. The woman, who hails from the Chinese Province of Hubei, had arrived in Sri Lanka as a tourist on January 19, Sudath Samaraweera, the Chief Epidemiologist with the Ministry of Health, said. "The first test on the patient was positive for the virus. We have sent a second sample to the Medical Research Institute at Borella for further examination. In the meantime, we will continue to treat her as a patient positive for new coronavirus at the IDH," Samaraweera told the Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). The woman was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Angoda town on December 25 after she developed symptoms of fever. The virus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed more than 80 people in that country alone, while more than a dozen other countries have reported cases so far.