Coronavirus: PM Modi to meet Harsh Vardhan after 31 people test positive

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to discuss the issue of Coronavirus which has become a global threat with 31 cases of the virus tested positive in India. The Health Minister will likely to brief PM Modi about the measures that have been taken by the government in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak as well as 'standards of care' maintained in hospitals.

"Every era brings new challenges to test and strengthen our 'Collaborate to Create' spirit. Just as today, Coronavirus has come up as a big challenge in front of the world. Financial institutions have considered it as a big challenge for the economy. Today, we all have to tackle this situation together," Prime Minister Modi had earlier said at a media conclave.

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Amid the increasing Coronavirus cases in India and other countries, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday released an updated travel advisory on the COVD-19. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that universal screening has been started at all international airports in India to detect the virus cases.

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According to the Union Health Ministry, the fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from New Delhi, Telangana, and Rajasthan where an Italian national was found positive with the infection in Jaipur. Last month, three cases were recorded in Kerala — who have now recovered and discharged from hospital.

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The deadly virus, that originated in China late last year, continues to spread around the world and has infected more than 80,000 people. According to the latest reports, 53 new deaths in China due to coronavirus infections have been confirmed, taking the total death toll to over 3,000. While most of the cases are from the Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan (the epicentre of the outbreak), other countries including Iran, Italy, Japan, and the Philippines have also reported deaths related to the novel coronavirus.

(With ANI inputs)

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