Coronavirus: Three men kept in isolation ward of RML test negative for virus

All three men kept under observation at an isolation ward of RML Hospital for possible exposure to vel coronavirus have tested negative, a Health ministry official said on Thursday.

"ir samples were sent for testing to NIV Pune and y have tested negative," official said.

So far 38 samples from all over India have been tested at Pune laboratory and all have tested negative, official said, ding re is confirmed case of vel coronavirus in country. three men h self reported at Centre-run hospital, designated to deal with such cases, on Monday with complaints of respiratory trouble and fever.

With China struggling to contain  fast-spreing vel coronavirus, Union Health Ministry h on Wednesday urged Indians to refrain from travelling to China. visory furr urged all travellers to China to monitor ir health closely. A 24x7 helpline number (011-23978046) to redress any queries related respiratory infection has been set up.

India is planning to evacuate its nationals, mostly students, stuck in Wuhan, epicentre of viral outbreak. As part of preparedness, India has also increased number of airports for rmal screening of passengers to 21 from seven. new airports include those at Gaya, Guwahati, Vizag, Varanasi, Goa, Bhubaneshwar and Luckw. Health ministry has also me four more laboratories functional or than NIV-Pune for testing samples. 

four lab facilities for testing samples have been me functional at Alleppey, Bengaluru, Hyderab and Mumbai. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Tuesday reviewed preparedness to deal with dely virus after which government said India has me a formal request to China for facilitating evacuation of Indians from Wuhan.

India has been making all efforts to detect and check spre of virus even as more than a dozen countries around world have confirmed cases of dely virus. Several states including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan have kept some people, with travel history to China, under observation after y showed vel coronavirus-like symptoms.