The patient, again from Kerala, has been quarantined and is being monitored
A second case of novel coronavirus was confirmed in Kerala by the Centre as well as the Kerala government on February 2, 2020.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) broke the news at 9.18 am, stating that the patient was isolated at a hospital and had a travel history of China. The statement added that the patient was stable and was being closely monitored.
Update on #NovelCoronavirus :
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) February 2, 2020
Second positive case of #nCov has been reported in #Kerala. The patient has a travel history from #China.
The patient is in isolation in the hospital, is stable & being closely monitored.@PMOIndia@drharshvardhan @AshwiniKChoubey @PIB_India @ANI pic.twitter.com/xtKj1IjcEy
On being contacted by Down To Earth, Kerala surveillance officer KJ Reena denied having any information and added that higher authorities in the state might be in the know.
In a very short press conference held about one-and-half-hours after the MoHFW’s announcement, Kerala’s Minister of Health K K Shailaja said the patient had been shifted to Alappuzha Medical College and was doing fine. She refused to reveal the age and gender of the patient. She also did not say as to which district the patient belonged to.
Shailaja said that while the Centre may have confirmed the news, she has not yet received the final laboratory report.
There is no word on these details yet from the MoHFW as well.
The first case in the state was confirmed on January 30 in Thrissur district. The last statement issued by the state’s health department said that patient was doing fine.
The number of cases due to novel coronavirus has risen to 14,290 globally. The death toll has gone up to 304.
Earlier on February 2, a flight from Wuhan city of China, the epicentre of outbreak, landed in Delhi, carrying 323 Indians and seven Maldivian nationals. The Maldivians will be housed in Delhi for a period of quarantine before being sent to the Maldives, the country’s foreign minister Abdullah Shahid, said.
This was the second flight engaged in evacuating operations for India. The first flight carrying 366 Indians from Wuhan landed on February 1.
Two quarantine centres have been built in the National Capital Region – one in Haryana’s Manesar district and the other at Chhawla Camp in Delhi’s Najafgarh. The former is being managed by the Indian Army and the latter by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Those who are being evacuated, are being kept in these quarantine camps for 14 days and are being taken care of by a team of doctors. If anyone develops symptoms, s/he would be transferred to a health facility.
This story has been updated
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