Coronavirus: Avoid crowded places, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that saliva is the main carrier of coronavirus. The Union Minister warned people against taking part in huge gatherings and advised them to avoid crowded places. The minister was addressing a press conference on COVID-19. In this presser, the minister also stated that the number of coronavirus cases in India as of now is 28.

This figure includes the 3 patients who were discharged from a Kerala hospital after recovery in February 2019. The remaining 25 cases were reported this week. These include a 45-year old man who returned from Europe, 24-year old techie who travelled to Hyderabad after landing from Dubai, 6 people from Agra who got infected after coming in contact with the Delhi patient, 16 Italian tourists and an Indian driver accompanying the tourists.

He also announced all flights and passengers will be a part of the universal screening and not just the 12 countries that were listed earlier. Around 5.89 lakh passengers at airports, over 15 thousand at major and minor seaports and approximately 10 lakh people at the borders of Nepal were screened till March 3, 2020, according to the health minister. To avoid any further damage, around 27 thousand were under community surveillance.

In a tweet, the central government had released a lowdown on all the precautions that need to be taken in order to protect yourself from the deadly coronavirus. In the same tweet, dedicated control room number and an email id for all those who have any doubts regarding the novel coronavirus was also mentioned.

Coronavirus death toll in China has crossed the 3,100 mark and more than 90,000 cases have reported globally.

Also read: Coronavirus in India: How do I check if I have been infected?