Student from Kerala is India’s 1st confirmed coronavirus case

Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Thursday confirmed India’s first-ever positive case of coronavirus in Thrissur. A girl student who returned from China’s Wuhan has tested positive, the Minister said.

Shailaja, however, said there is no need to panic, adding the girl is being kept in isolation in a hospital.

“So far, we have sent 20 samples for testing of which 10 turned negative, results of six are awaited, and one case tested positive. Four other samples have also been sent,” Shailaja said, adding a second gene sequence test is to be done.

“The patient returned from Wuhan where this virus was first found out,” the Minister said.

“Her condition is stable and she is improving. Everybody returning from China should report to the health authorities but we found out that not all are reporting,” she said.

The Minister said instructions have been given to all state-run hospitals to see that proper steps are taken to face any eventuality.

“We are fully ready to tackle this and I reiterate there is no need to panic at all,” she said.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare first announced that a positive case of coronavirus from Kerala has come to light.

“One positive case of Novel Coronavirus — a student studying in Wuhan University — has been reported from Kerala,” said a statement released by the Health Ministry.

“The patient is stable and is being closely monitored,” said the ministry statement.

According to the figures put out on Wednesday night by the Kerala health authorities, around 800 people are under observation with 10 in hospitals and the rest at their homes.

Wuhan city in China witnessed an outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus last month. Since then the death toll in China from the new coronavirus has risen to 170 with 7,711 confirmed cases, as repatriation flights for foreign nationals continued.

Outside China, Hong Kong and Macau, other countries with confirmed cases include Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Canada, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Australia (two new cases reported on Thursday), France and Germany.

Finland reported its first case on Wednesday.