Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviews measures to tackle novel Coronavirus

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan on Saturday chaired a review meeting on preparedness for management of novel coronavirus with senior officers of the Ministry in Delhi. Meanwhile, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Preeti Sudan reviewed the screening of Indians who had been evacuated from Wuhan through a video conferencing on Saturday.

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First positive case in India

On 30 January the first case of Coronavirus was confirmed in India, to which Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan responded that the government has been putting all its might into dealing with the threat. 

"Even before the case was detected, we were doing our best. If there is a positive case, we will treat them. I have been informed about one positive case and I will go to the office and find about it. The whole govt is doing its best to ensure no case comes positive," Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja had informed that 20 samples were sent for tests out of which one was found to be positive. The patient who is a student studying at Wuhan University had returned from China after the outbreak and has tested positive. She is kept in isolation at General Hospital in Thrissur. The patient is currently stable.

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Indians Evacuated From Wuhan, Admitted To ITBP

Around 324 Indians were evacuated from China's Wuhan city, on February 1. They arrived in India on Air India's jumbo B747 aircraft. All the evacuated Indians were admitted at the two quarantine facilities set up by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), though none of them have been tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The plane, carrying 211 students, 110 working professionals and three minors, reached Delhi at around 7.30 am.

Rescue mission continues

Another flight of the airline Air India departed for the Chinese city from Delhi at around 1.37 pm on Saturday to bring back Indian nationals, reached Wuhan at around 5.40 pm. Five doctors from the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, who were on board for the first flight, are also on the second flight, said an Air India spokesperson.

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(With inputs from ANI)