Coronavirus update: 2nd Air India flight to evacuate Indians from Wuhan leaves Delhi

NEW DELHI: The second Air India special flight to evacuate Indians from Wuhan has left Delhi this afternoon. The first special flight with 324 Indians landed in Delhi earlier today.

The passengers returning from Wuhan will be put up at a separate facility in Haryana’s Manesar set up by the Indian Army.

At the facility, people will be put under observation. A qualified team of doctors and staff members will monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, the death tally in China has risen to 258 with total confirmed cases streaming to 11,791, according to media reports.

India’s first confirmed case of the newly spreading coronavirus was reported in Kerala.

5 patients---4 men and a woman suspected of coronavirus infection have been admitted to Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

The virus is novel, which states that it has not been encountered before in humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency since the virus was spreading globally at an alarming rate.

98 confirmed cases were also reported from 18 countries, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, told the media on Thursday night: “I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of 2019nCoV, not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries."

Outside of China, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, other countries with confirmed cases include Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, the US, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Italy, Vietnam, Cambodia, Finland, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. However, there were no deaths reported outside of China.

Most common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, 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.

Also Read: Snakes may be the source of novel coronavirus outbreak

Also Watch: Historic Bodo Agreement Signed, Watch ABSU celebrating the moment in Kokrajhar