MUMBAI: Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana has speculated that the deadly coronavirus might have been produced during attempts to develop biological weapons of mega destruction by China.
"China's biological laboratory is in Wuhan province where coronavirus was found. The world community must research whether this virus was produced in attempts to develop biological weapons of mega destruction," read the editorial.
"In the wake of threat from the coronavirus, several countries including India have put a ban on flights from and to China. This step might be justified but many countrymen are stuck in China. To bring them back is a challenge," it said.
"It cannot be ruled out the possibility of the spread of the virus in northeastern states adjoining China. The need of the hour is to deploy special health teams in these states. The virus spread fast in China because it has a huge and dense population and its possibility of spreading fast in India cannot be ruled out," it added.
In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, as many as 4,846 passengers have been screened till January 28 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
Twenty-eight passengers were from Maharashtra out of which 12 had symptoms of mild cough, cold and fever. They were admitted to isolation centers.
Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause respiratory illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
The symptoms reported in patients with the novel coronavirus (nCoV) include acute onset of fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. The infection results in severe complications and even death.At least 213 people infected with the deadly virus have died in China.