The World Health Organisation said that the new coronavirus outbreak “is a controllable pandemic” if countries step up measures to tackle it. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries needed to find the right balance between protecting health and preventing social and economic disruption.
Meanwhile India saw the country’s first COVID-19 death late on March 12 in Karnataka, after samples of a 76-year-old man, who was a suspected COVID-19 patient and passed away on March 10 night, tested positive for the disease. The patient from Kalaburgi also had co-morbidities such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes.
We have been covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded. Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
700 employees of a Noida firm told to work from home
Around 700 employees of a private company in Noida have been asked to work from home after one of its senior executives was tested positive for COVID-19.
Anurag Bhargava, Chief Medical Officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar, confirmed to The Hindu that the employees have been put under “surveillance”.
“The patient, a resident of Delhi, used to travel to Noida every day. It has been learnt that he came into contact with many people before he was detected positive. Right now, he is in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. As a precautionary measure, his colleagues have been asked to work from home,” he said.
A.P. Govt. looking for 105 people who returned from COVID-19 hit countries
The Department of Health is still looking for 105 foreign returnees from COVID-19 hit countries in the State as of Thursday.
It is not known if these people had undergone basic screening for the symptoms of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) upon arrival in the country. The department has traced 57 such persons and put them under home isolation since Wednesday.
According to the evening bulletin on COVID-19 outbreak, one person tested positive to COVID-19 and 328 people, including 319 at homes and 9 at hospitals, have been placed under isolation.
CRPF cancels anniversary celebrations
The CRPF on Friday postponed its raising day celebrations planned to be held next week in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
The 3.25 lakh central force was supposed to hold the main ceremonial parade and display of martial skills with the involvement of thousands of troops at its officers academy campus in Gurgaon on March 19 to mark its 81st raising day.
Taking a similar action, the Central Industrial Security Force had last week postponed its anniversary day celebrations to be held on Friday.
However, the CISF is now mulling to hold this event on March 28 after reviewing the threat posed by the disease. - PTI
A glimpse into an isolation ward in Kerala
At the reception desk of the administrative block of Government Medical College Hospital, Ernakulam, you are asked to disinfect your hands using a sanitiser. On the wall across from the desk is a white board screaming out the word of the day, ‘Alert’ in English and ‘Jagrata’ in Malayalam.
At the other end of the lobby is a wide glass door, behind which a white curtain running across the small courtyard leading to a towering seven-storey building segregates two sets of people, all wearing face masks. Some are seated in chairs, while a few stand around having animated talk over their phones. A few desks with people in personal protective equipment (PPE) are seen in the portico and inside its opaque glass doors. It houses the largest isolation facility in the State for symptomatic suspected COVID-19 cases and confirmed patients.
Premier League in doubt as Arteta, Hudson-Odoi get coronavirus
The Premier League was thrown into chaos as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi both contracted the new coronavirus, leaving at least one game postponed and other fixtures in doubt.
Arsenal's match at Brighton was put on hold after Arteta's diagnosis sent the London club into lockdown, while Chelsea's players and coaching staff were also ordered into isolation.
Chelsea said they would discuss their upcoming games, starting with Sunday's trip to Aston Villa, with Premier League officials.
The league will hold emergency talks on Friday “regarding future fixtures” in light of the pandemic, which has shut down football and other sports around the world.
- AFP
Australian pacer Kane Richardson tested for coronavirus, results awaited
Australian fast bowler Kane Richardson has been tested for the novel coronavirus after he reported illness and will miss the first ODI against New Zealand on Friday.
The right-arm pacer, who returned with Australian team from South Africa earlier this week, informed the medical staff of a sore throat on Thursday and was tested for the virus, though the results of the test are awaited.
“Our medical staff are treating this as a typical throat infection but we are following Australian Government protocols that require us to keep Kane away from other members of the squad and perform the appropriate tests given he has returned from international travel in the last 14 days,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“Once we receive the results of the tests and Kane recovers in the next few days we expect he will re-join the team. We will not be making further comment until something changes.”
- PTI
112 housed at ITBP quarantine test negative for coronavirus
All 112 people admitted to an ITBP quarantine facility here for over a fortnight have tested negative for coronavirus and are expected to be released on Friday, a senior official said.
All of them were evacuated last month from Wuhan in China.
Delhi shuts schools, colleges and cinemas
The COVID-19 was declared an epidemic by the Delhi government on Thursday. Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal chaired a meeting at Raj Niwas with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to review the preparedness to contain the disease.
All cinemas, schools and colleges — except those where exams are on — will remain shut till March 31. Disinfecting all public and private places will be made compulsory.
The Delhi government is preparing more quarantine facilities.
Bengaluru-based software engineer tests positive
A software engineer, who works in Bengaluru, has tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday taking the total number of confirmed cases in Karnataka to five.
The newly married 26-year-old software engineer, who returned on March 6 from his honeymoon to Greece, first landed in Mumbai with his wife to meet his parents who live there. From there, his wife travelled to her parents’ home in Agra from Mumbai.
Kerala vlogger documents his stay in isolation ward
“My lab result has come. It is negative. The doctor also has approved my discharge. As I told you all, be fearless. This coronavirus won’t affect us,” says a cheerful Shakir Subhan, better known as the ‘Mallu Traveller’, in Malayalam in one of his latest videos, which shows him still sporting a mask.
The avid vlogger from Iritty, Kannur, whose videos documenting his three days in an isolation ward at a Government hospital have gone viral, is happy to be home. The globe-trotter had been on “a solo world bike tour” when he was forced to discontinue his odyssey in Azerbaijan just as he was to enter Georgia, due to the global coronavirus outbreak. His videos, posted in his YouTube channel the ‘Mallu Traveller’ that has over 6,62,000 subscribers, attempt to bust some quarantine myths and throw light on what life is like in an isolation ward.
Canada PM's wife tests positive for new coronavirus
The wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office said late on Thursday.
“Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive,” the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.
“Following medical advice, she will remain in isolation for the time being. She is feeling well, is taking all the recommended precautions and her symptoms remain mild,” it said.
“The Prime Minister is in good health with no symptoms. As a precautionary measure and following the advice of doctors, he will be in isolation for a planned period of 14 days,” but will not be tested.
COVID-19 vaccine will take at least two years to develop: health officials
Senior health officials have said a COVID-19 vaccine will take at least two years to develop even with expedited clinical trials and approvals. The virus has affected 74 people in the country, including 17 foreign nationals (16 Italians and a Canadian).
Raman. R. Gangakhedkar, head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases-I (ECD-I), Division of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said Indian scientists have managed to “successfully isolate the COVID-19 virus. This is needed for making a vaccine. There are two ways of going for vaccine preparation — either you look at the sequences of the gene which then may lead to development of antibodies, or you actually have the strain and then you try to develop a vaccine which is always an easier option,” he said.