3 people under observation for coronavirus in Delhi's RML hospital, blood samples sent for testing

Three persons have been kept under observation at an isolation ward of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here for suspected exposure to novel coronavirus, officials said here on Tuesday.

Dr Minakshi Bhardwaj, Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital, said: "Three patients have been kept in the isolation for possible exposure to novel coronavirus. Their samples have been sent for testing."

In order to review the preparedness of authorities with respect to the treatment of suspected patients of novel coronavirus, a team of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had visited RML on Monday. They had inspected the isolated dedicated wards for the treatment of the patients infected with the virus.

The Centre-run Dr RML Hospital has been declared as a nodal hospital to manage the cases of the novel coronavirus if detected in India.

In the wake of virus outbreak, a total of 33,552 passengers arriving in India from China in 155 flights have been screened till Monday.

The virus for which there is no effective vaccine was reported on January 16 in Japan, the first case outside China and its territories.

The death toll from novel coronavirus in China skyrocketed to 106 on Tuesday.

Coronaviruses (nCoV) are a large family of viruses that cause 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). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.