Coronavirus outbreak: 4 more Indian on-board Diamond Princess test positive

Four Indian crew members who underwent tests for coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess moored off the Japan coast, have tested positive, taking the number of Indians infected with the virus on the vessel to 12, the Indian embassy said on Sunday. “Unfortunately, the results received include four Indian crew members having tested positive,” the Indian embassy tweeted. “All 12 Indians are responding well to treatment.”
 
Passengers showing no signs of the deadly disease started deboarding the ship after the quarantine period ended last week. 
 
The death toll from China’s coronavirus epidemic has shot to 2,442, while confirmed cases rose to 76,936, officials said on Sunday. Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered screening of passengers from four more countries — Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia — as part of efforts to prevent spreading of coronavirus. Now, fliers from as many as 10 countries would be screened.

 

Maharashtra on Sunday said 81 out of 83 people admitted in isolation wards for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus have tested negative. While 80 of them have been discharged, three others continue to be hospitalised.
 
The industry body Assocham said the industry and trade, including pharmaceuticals, are ready to manage the “evolving” coronavirus situation without causing any major impact on the supply chain and no major challenge is foreseen in the near term. Stating that there is no need for panic, Assocham Secretary General Deepak Sood said the government and industry have been reacting in a pro-active manner in close coordination with each other.

 
Meanwhile, the IMF warned that the deadly coronavirus epidemic could put an already fragile global economy recovery at risk.
 
Global growth was poised for a modest rebound to 3.3 per cent this year, up from 2.9 per cent last year, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said after a two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh. “The projected recovery... is fragile,” she said. “The COVID-19 virus has disrupted economic activity in China and could put the recovery at risk.”