Even as fears of coronavirus turning into a pandemic plague health officials around the world, it has been reported that all the 645 Indians who were airlifted from China’s Wuhan city tested negative for the virus, according to the Union Health Ministry. The individuals were placed under isolation at Army Base and ITBP camps.
It said that as of February 6 over 1,38,000 passengers from 1,265 flights had been screened for novel coronavirus illness and that no new case had been detected.
India has so far reported three confirmed cases of nCoV from Kerala. Three medical students studying at Wuhan University who returned to India recently tested positive for the virus.
Besides, 510 samples were tested by ICMR network laboratories, of which all had tested negative except for the three already reported positive cases.
The three cases are clinically stable, the ministry said in a statement.
It said that all 645 people evacuated from Wuhan, who were kept in isolation at Army Base and ITBP camps, tested negative for coronavirus.
Community surveillance and contact tracing is going on by IDSP for 6,558 persons across 32 states and union territories.
The Fourth Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) meeting was held on Thursday under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to discuss various technical issues, including review period of follow up required for asymptomatic travellers from China.
The Health Ministry in coordination with central ministries and all states/UTs is taking adequate measures for management of nCoV in India.