Coronavirus: Confirmed cases rise to 43, 3-year-old from Kerala among those infected

Team Udayavani, Mar 9, 2020, 1:22 PM IST

New Delhi: Four new cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in the country, taking the number of confirmed cases to 43, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

A new case each has been reported from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Ernakulam in Kerala, and Jammu, the ministry said, adding that no deaths due to the coronavirus had been reported yet in the country.

In a statement, the ministry clarified that the man, who died in a hospital isolation ward in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Sunday, tested negative for COVID-19 infection. He was admitted there with suspected symptoms of coronavirus following his return from Saudi Arabia.

Forty-three samples have tested positive out of the 3,003 samples tested for COVID-19, with 2,694 samples having returned negative results, it said. It includes the three patients from Kerala who were discharged last month following recovery.

A total of 8,74,708 international passengers from 8,255 flights have been screened at airports till now, with 1,921 passengers identified as symptomatic. As many as 177 of them have been hospitalised, 33,599 passengers are under observation and 21,867 passengers have completed their observation period.

The ministry appealed to people to reveal clearly about their travel history and fill the details in self-declaration forms properly.

Union Minister of Health Harsh Vardhan is continuously monitoring and reviewing the status, actions taken and future preparedness of states.