Published 18:11 IST, March 18th 2020
Coronavirus: 282 infected Indian citizens abroad; Here’s country-wise detail
As the number of novel coronavirus cases continues to the rise across the world, the Indian government has revealed the number of infected citizens abroad.
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As the number of coronavirus cases continues to the rise across the world, the Indian government has revealed the number of infected citizens abroad. Answering an unstarred question related to the number of infected citizens country-wise, Union Minister V Muraleedharan listed six countries along with Hong Kong region where Indian nationals infected from the virus are currently present.
Iran has the highest number of Indian nationals who are infected by COVID-19, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Italy. While Iran has 255 confirmed Indian patients, UAE is a distant second with 12 Indian nationals. Italy, the worst-hit country in Europe, has confirmed five Indian patients. Other countries include Kuwait, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka which has reported one Indian patient each.
“The Indian Embassies in the respective countries are in touch with such Indian citizens regarding appropriate medical attention in cooperation with local authorities,” said the Union Minister in a statement.
Assistance to China
The External Affairs Minister also told the Parliament that India has provided masks, gloves and emergency medical equipment to China on February 26 to combat the novel coronavirus. Muraleedharan said that the government provided assistance as a mark of friendship and solidarity from the people of India towards the people of China.
The Union Minister highlighted that the two countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Around 15 tonnes of supplies were delivered by an Indian Air Force C-17 special flight, which landed in Wuhan, and were handed over to the Hubei Charity Federation. The medical supplies include one lakh pieces of surgical masks, five lakh pairs of surgical gloves, 75 infusion pumps, 30 enteral feeding pumps, 21 defibrillators, and 4000 pieces of N-95 masks.
While China has registered a significant decline in the number of coronavirus cases, India has issued several advisories to contain the coronavirus as the threat of community transmission looms large. According to the latest report, 152 people have been tested positive for COVID-19 and three people have succumbed to the infection.
18:11 IST, March 18th 2020