China: Even as the outbreak of Coronavirus sends panic waves across countries, Special Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Sanjeeva Kumar reviewed the preparations at the airports and hospitals in efforts to curb the spread of the virus in the country. The meeting was held with Health Secretaries of states along with the Airport Health Organization Officers (APHOs) via a video conference.
Kumar said that States need to take pro-active preventive measures by creating awareness among the people through local media. For planes, he said there is a need for adequate in-flight announcements to make passengers aware of the symptoms. He specified the need to popularise the call centre/helpline numbers through TV, Radio, press releases, social media and other channels.
He was informed that at the airports, thermal and symptomatic screening has been initiated, immigration officers and other staff members have been sensitised and dedicated ambulances are placed at the airports. Self-declaration forms are available and signages have been kept at prominent places across the airport. As many as seven central teams have visited the respective states and helped to strengthen the preparedness too.
While in hospitals, isolation wards have been readied to face any contingency. Personal protection equipment and masks are available in adequate quantity in all the States/UTs. Tertiary hospitals have been identified for airports and protocols for contact tracing are followed and timely collection and transportation of samples from suspected cases to NIV, Pune is being undertaken.
The Indian embassy in China has begun the process for the evacuation of Indian citizens stranded in Hubei Province which is said to be most affected by the coronavirus outbreak. ”The embassy is working hard to ensure smooth evacuation of our citizens from Hubei Province. We are already in touch with many sections of the Indian Community in Hubei, including our students,” the Indian embassy in Beijing said.
The embassy has reportedly compiled a list of Indians to be flown out. According to reports, there are over 250 Indian nationals, mostly students and professionals, who need to be evacuated from the Hubei province.
Meanwhile, the death toll in China due to Coronavirus has jumped sharply to 170 with as many as 6000 confirmed cases. Major airlines, including British Airways, have suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China.
Countries are trying to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the city in Hubei at the centre of the epidemic. The US, Japan, UK have all sent planes to get back nationals while EU, Germany, Mongolia, S. Korea, New Zealand, Australia, are also sending or in the process of sending planes. The World Health Organisation has urged all countries to stay alert, while an emergency committee will meet again on Thursday.
In India, many cases have been reported from Kerala, Gujarat and Delhi but none of the cases has reported being positive. Samples from suspected patients are being sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune.
Bureau Report
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