The World Health Organisation said that the new coronavirus outbreak “is a controllable pandemic” if countries step up measures to tackle it. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries needed to find the right balance between protecting health and preventing social and economic disruption.
Meanwhile India saw the country’s first COVID-19 death late on March 12 in Karnataka, after samples of a 76-year-old man, who was a suspected COVID-19 patient and passed away on March 10 night, tested positive for the disease. The patient from Kalaburgi also had co-morbidities such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes.
We have been covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded. Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
Vijayawada | 11.06 am
A.P. Govt. looking for 105 people who returned from COVID-19 hit countries
The Department of Health is still looking for 105 foreign returnees from COVID-19 hit countries in the State as of Thursday.
It is not known if these people had undergone basic screening for the symptoms of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) upon arrival in the country. The department has traced 57 such persons and put them under home isolation since Wednesday.
According to the evening bulletin on COVID-19 outbreak, one person tested positive to COVID-19 and 328 people, including 319 at homes and 9 at hospitals, have been placed under isolation.
10.45 am
CRPF cancels anniversary celebrations
The CRPF on Friday postponed its raising day celebrations planned to be held next week in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
The 3.25 lakh central force was supposed to hold the main ceremonial parade and display of martial skills with the involvement of thousands of troops at its officers academy campus in Gurgaon on March 19 to mark its 81st raising day.
Taking a similar action, the Central Industrial Security Force had last week postponed its anniversary day celebrations to be held on Friday.
However, the CISF is now mulling to hold this event on March 28 after reviewing the threat posed by the disease. – PTI
10.20 am | Kerala
A glimpse into an isolation ward in Kerala
At the reception desk of the administrative block of Government Medical College Hospital, Ernakulam, you are asked to disinfect your hands using a sanitiser. On the wall across from the desk is a white board screaming out the word of the day, ‘Alert’ in English and ‘Jagrata’ in Malayalam.
At the other end of the lobby is a wide glass door, behind which a white curtain running across the small courtyard leading to a towering seven-storey building segregates two sets of people, all wearing face masks. Some are seated in chairs, while a few stand around having animated talk over their phones. A few desks with people in personal protective equipment (PPE) are seen