Coronavirus in India: Second case of deadly virus confirmed in Kerala

The second confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus has been reported from Kerala where a person has been tested positive with the deadly virus. The patient has a travel history from China, suggested report.

"The patient has tested positive for Novel Coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," according to a PIB statement.

Read MoreThe first confirmed case of Coronavirus was reported from Kerala on January 30, when a student studying in Wuhan University, returned to Kerala. The student, who returned to Kerala from Wuhan via Kolkata, went to the Thrissur General Hospital with possible symptoms, where he was quickly quarantined to an isolation ward.

As of now, nearly 900 people are under observation across India. Of this, 806 people are under observation in Kerala alone. As per report, 10 people are in isolation wards in hospitals, while the rest are in home quarantine. Meanwhile, at least 27 persons are under observation in Maharashtra, and as a precautionary measure 10 of them have been quarantined. In MP, a 50-year-old woman and her 20-year-old son who were admitted in a hospital in Ujjain for possible exposure to novel Coronavirus tested negative for the deadly pathogen. Few days back, a 28-year-old resident of Mohali, Punjab, who returned from China recently, was also admitted to the isolation ward of PGIMER, Chandigarh, after showing novel Coronavirus-like symptoms.

Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Kerala moves fast soon after first case appears in state

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency, as cases spread to at least 18 countries. As per WHO data, the majority of the more than 7,800 cases detected globally were reported in China, where the virus originated in an illegal wildlife market in the city of Wuhan.  The capital of China's Hubei province, Wuhan is the centre of Coronavirus outbreak.

Given the deadly novel coronavirus spreading rapidly outside China, government has asked Indians to refrain from travelling to China where the novel coronavirus has claimed nearly 300 lives. The ministry has issued travel advisory and urged people travelling to China to monitor their health closely. It asked people to use 24x7 helpline (011-23978046) for queries related to respiratory infection.

Also Read: Coronavirus: WHO declares global emergency as death toll reaches 170 in China

As a precautionary measure, the Indian government has evacuated 324 Indians from the Chinese city of Wuhan where the outbreak of deadly coronavirus has killed several people. Air India's jumbo B747 plane, carrying 324 Indian nationals from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan in China, landed on Saturday morning.

As per latest update, India on Sunday airlifted a second batch of 323 Indians from Wuhan city, taking the total number of people evacuated to 654.

By Chitranjan Kumar