NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday held a high-level review with senior officials of the health ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Centre for Disease Control to oversee the current situation, preparedness and steps being taken for prevention and management of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in India.
The government said that 11 people, who had returned from China, have been put under observation but samples taken from four have tested negative for the virus at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.
Results are awaited for the rest of the suspects and no nCoV— which often manifests itself through flu-like symptoms and fever— has been detected in the country so far.
“The situation is being closely monitored at the highest level for adequate preparedness,” said the ministry.
It was also decided that multidisciplinary central teams will be formed and sent to the seven states where thermal screening is being done at the seven designated airports — New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.
“The team shall consist of a public health expert, a clinician and a microbiologist and will reach the designated states on Sunday,” a statement said.
These teams are mandated with the task of reviewing the end-to-end preparedness for management and control of nCoV in the states, including that at airports, for thermal screening and transferring of patients to hospitals.
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99 more people, who returned to Kerala from China, have been kept under surveillance.
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