Coronavirus update: 640 Indians evacuated in complex operation, says MEA

NEW DELHI: On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that 640 Indians have been evacuated due to coronavirus outbreak in China in a complex operation which was carried out with cooperation from Chinese authorities.

10 other Indians could not return to the country as they could not clear the health screening process.

“We are in regular contact with them and exploring all possibilities for their return,” said MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

Two Air India special flights flew to Wuhan to evacuate Indians.

Meanwhile, WHO announced that to fight further spread of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China and globally, and protect states with weaker health systems, the international community has launched a US$675 million preparedness and response plan covering the months of February through to April 2020.

“My biggest worry is that there are countries today who do not have the systems in place to detect people who have contracted with the virus, even if it were to emerge,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Urgent support is needed to bolster weak health systems to detect, diagnose and care for people with the virus, to prevent further human to human transmission and protect health workers.”

“Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans,” stated WHO.

Most common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing, said WHO.

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