Coronavirus: US Death Toll Reaches 6; India On Alert, Air-India Crew To Be In Self-Imposed Quarantine

Coronavirus: Centre has asked people not to panic as two positive cases of COVID-19 were detected in India. In the United States, six people have lost lives to the deadly virus. The contagion which originated in China has taken root in several countries of the world.

Mumbai: A man wearing a mask as part of preventive measures for the deadly coronavirus, takes a nap at an airport in Mumbai, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)(PTI2_22_2020_000165B)

New Delhi: The coronavirus contagion has taken root in several countries of the world including the United States, Qatar, Iran, Italy, South Korea and others. The World Health Organization (WHO) has registered more than 1,500 new cases of the novel coronavirus outside of China in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the death toll outside of China has gone up by 24 to 128. In its latest coronavirus disease situation report, the WHO has said that the number of confirmed cases outside of China had risen by 1,598 to 8,774 in 64 countries. Toll in US reached 6: The number of deaths in the United States from the novel coronavirus rose to six on Monday, all in the state of Washington, officials said, signaling the contagion has taken root in the Pacific Northwest. Vice President Mike Pence announced a treatment for the disease could be available by summer or early fall, but that a vaccine was farther off. Pence, the administration's pointman for the crisis, also said the government was moving to screen 100 percent of passengers flying in from Italy and South Korea, two serious virus hot zones. Two fresh cases in India: One positive case of COVID-19 has been detected in New Delhi, and another has been detected in Telangana. The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy, while the one from Telangana has a travel history from Dubai. Further details of his travels are being ascertained, the statement of the ministry of health and family welfare said. Both the patients are stable and being closely monitored. No need to panic, says Harsh Vardhan after COVID-19 cases Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan assured that India is fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus threat after the country recorded two positive cases on Monday and that there was no need to panic. Air India crew told to be in self-imposed quarantine: National passenger carrier Air India has asked the crew of its Vienna-Delhi flight on February 25 to be on a self-imposed home quarantine for 14 days to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus in India. The development comes after a New Delhi resident tested positive for coronavirus. He had travelled on the Air India flight from Vienna to Delhi flight on February 25. Ten crew members including the Commander and the Co-pilot of the flight have been told to be on a 14 day quarantine at their homes, a senior Air India official said. Airports to screen passengers from 2 more countries Passengers arriving in India from two more coronavirus-affected countries - Italy and Iran -- will undergo medical screening at the airports as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on Monday. Italy has reported the most coronavirus cases outside of Asia, while Iran has reported the most deaths from the deadly virus outside of China. Earlier, the DGCA had ordered the screening of passengers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Vietnam, and Malaysia. (with inputs from agencies)