Indian Army Major returns from Iran, kept in isolation as precaution against coronavirus

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, an Indian Army Major who recently returned from Iran has been asked to remain in isolation over suspicion of the deadly virus. According to reports, the army officer has not been admitted to any hospital. Further, he has voluntarily offered himself for a medical investigation and has been kept in isolation only as a precautionary measure. 

Coronavirus cases jump to 2,300 in two weeks

In less than two weeks, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Iran has jumped from two to more than 2,300. Reports say that this has deeply shaken the public trust in the Iranian regime’s capacity to contain the virus. At least 77 people in the country have died from the disease including 71-year old Mohammad Mirmohammadi who was an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Read: Kerala CM writes to EAM, seeks 'safe return' of trapped fishermen in Iran due to COVID-19

Coronavirus outbreak

On March 1, UN Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock released $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help fund global efforts to contain the virus. The announcement came soon after the WHO upgraded the global risk of the coronavirus outbreak to "very high" – its top level of risk assessment. The WHO has said there is still a chance of containing the virus if its chain of transmission is broken. 

WHO has called for $675 million to fund the fight against coronavirus. There is a window of opportunity to contain the spread of the virus if countries take robust measures to detect cases early, isolate and care for patients, and trace contacts.

Read:'Better saaf than sorry' Amul tweets precautions against Coronavirus amid global scare

Death toll rises in China

According to the latest reports, 42 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 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 novel coronavirus.

First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. 

Read: Sena's Supriya Sule requests EAM to 'bring back' Indians trapped in Iran due to COVID-19

Read: Amid Coronavirus scare, World Bank,IMF to hold annual spring meetings in 'virtual format'