Indian national in Dubai tested positive for Coronavirus
By Newsmeter Network Published on 5 March 2020 7:36 AM GMT
Hyderabad: The Ministry of External Affairs announced that 17 Indian nationals from abroad have been tested positive for coronavirus. In response to a question posed in the Parliament on March 4, the Ministry replied that an Indian national from UAE has been reported with the virus.
Reportedly, the person who has been infected is a 16-year-old Indian student from Dubai. The infection was contracted from the student's parent who had travelled overseas, according to the health officials in Dubai.
The Ministry also said that 16 Indian nationals in Japan cruise ship have been infected with the coronavirus. These 16 people are being treated in on-shore medical facilities in Japan.
According to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, 29 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in India. "A total of 3542 samples have been sent for testing, of which 29 have been found to be positive for COVID-19 till now. Testing of 92 samples is in process and 23 samples are being reconfirmed," he said.
The government of India also stated that as of now, 723 Indian nationals have been evacuated from China, while 119 Indians have been brought back from the cruise ship in Japan.
India spent Rs 5 crores on special flights to China
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that Air India had spent around Rs 5 crores in arranging for special flights to China. In the Lok Sabha response, the ministry stated that “Air India has raised a bill of Rs. 5,98,90,352 for operating two special flights to China.”
Coronavirus updates in India
In India, the total number of infections have gone up to 29, of which 14 are Italian tourists. The 14 Italian nationals have been shifted to Gurgaon's Medanta Hospital on March 5.
The new case was confirmed in Gurgaon on March 4, when an employee of payments app Paytm was tested positive. The person reportedly had a travel history from Italy. Following this, Paytm had closed its offices in Gurgaon and Noida for a couple of days to be sanitised.
Briefing the Rajya Sabha about the precautionary measures taken up by the government, Union Minister for Health Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “All the patients reported are stable. The government is taking all necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in India. Indian citizens have been advised to avoid all non-essential travel.”
The global death toll due to the COVID-19 epidemic has crossed 3,200 after several deaths were reported from China, where the virus originated.
