Coronavirus Highlights: Gurgaon Paytm employee tests positive

There are 93,042 confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and 3,201 deaths reported globally in 67 countries

5:24 PM

Two samples from Telangana sent to Pune for confirmation on COVID-19, 45 others test negative

Samples of two persons have been sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune for confirmation of coronavirus, health authorities said on Wednesday, as the government stepped up precautionary measures.

 

The virus scare hit the IT corridor at Cyberabad herewith a complex, housing software companies, being "closed" for sanitisation after a person working there was suspected to be suffering from the infection.

 

The state reported its first COVID-19 case on Monday when a 24-year-old software personnel, who recently returned from Dubai, had tested positive for the virus.

 

The two persons are among the 47 whose samples were tested at the state-run Gandhi hospital here on Tuesday.

 

According to the minister, 45 samples tested negative.

5:23 PM

China says Hubei virus control and prevention still heavy task

The task of controlling and preventing the spread of the coronavirus in Hubei province, origin of the global outbreak, is still heavy, the ruling Communist Party's Politburo said on Wednesday, according to state television.

5:22 PM

Attempts on to create panic over coronavirus to divert focus from Delhi riots: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday alleged that "some people and channels" were trying to create panic over coronovirus in the country to divert attention from the Delhi communal riots.

 

She said "happy and healthy" people were killed in Delhi because of violence and not a virus.

 

"Today some people are shouting corona, corona [coronavirus] a bit too much. Yes, it's a dreaded disease but don't create panic. Some (TV) channels are creating hype over it to suppress Delhi violence. Do report when it occurs. We don't want the disease to spread, but don't create panic," she told a TMC meeting here in South Dinajpur.

 

A total of 28 COVID-19 positive cases have been detected in India so far, according to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. None of these are in West Bengal.

5:20 PM

Iran first vice president tests positive for Coronavirus, says Iranwire. No official confirmation

5:12 PM

Coronavirus epidemic forced several sporting events to be postponed: Here is a complete list

The outbreak of the Coronavirus epidemic has not only impacted sporting event scheduled to be held in China but also those across the globe.

 

Here is a list of sporting events around the world that have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak in China:

 

* ISSF International Solidarity Championships in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 22-28 postponed.
 

* World Cup in Shanghai from May 4-10 cancelled.  Read More...

5:06 PM

Iran's oil and gas production not affected by Coronavirus, says official

Coronavirus has not had any effect on oil or gas production in Iran, the deputy head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said on Wednesday, according to the Tasnim news agency.

 

"The production and distribution of Iran's oil and gas is being carried out without any effect from the outbreak," Farokh Alikhani was quoted as saying. Read More...

4:58 PM

Iran has 92 coronavirus deaths, 2,922 infections - health ministry

92 people have died in Iran from the novel coronavirus and 2,922 have been infected, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur announced on state TV on Wednesday.

4:32 PM

South Korea reports lowest new infections for a week

South Korea reported its lowest number of new novel coronavirus cases for a week Wednesday, as the government proposed a near-USD 10 billion additional budget to try to address the epidemic's impact.

 

Seoul announced 435 new cases Wednesday, far below Tuesday's rise of 851 -- when President Moon Jae-in declared "war" on the virus -- and its lowest increase since February 26.

 

The South's total, which is already the largest in the world outside China, reached 5,621, and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said four more people had died, taking the toll to 32.

4:15 PM

17 Indians have been infected with coronavirus abroad: MEA

4:11 PM

Iraq announces first coronavirus death

Iraq said a 70-year-old Muslim cleric died on Wednesday from the novel coronavirus, the first death from the outbreak in a country where 31 people have been infected.

 

The Iraqi preacher had been quarantined in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah before his death, a spokesman for the Kurdish autonomous region's health authority said.

4:09 PM

Harsh Vardhan says govt intends to set up coronavirus testing facility for Indians in Iran

India intends to set up a laboratory in Iran so that Indians there can be tested for a possible exposure to novel coronavirus before being brought back, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday.

 

The Iranian government has not yet given permission for it.

 

An estimated 1,200 Indians, mostly students and pilgrims, are in Iran currently.

 

"If the Iranian government lends its support, a testing facility could be set up there as well, so that Indians there can be tested before they can be brought back," Vardhan said.

3:55 PM

Poland announces first coronavirus case

Poland on Wednesday announced its first case of coronavirus while adding that nearly 70 people were being tested for the disease.
 

The man, who had visited Germany, is "not part of a risk group" and his life is not in danger, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski told a news conference.

 

He indicated the man was not elderly, whose lives are at greater risk.

 

He was hospitalised in the western city of Zielona Gora with a high fever and other symptoms of the disease that has killed more than 3,000 people and infected around 92,000 globally.

3:41 PM

Over 6 lakh people screened at 21 airports for coronavirus: Prakash Javadekar

3:38 PM

Asia Championships 2020 shifted to Manila due to coronavirus outbreak

3:38 PM

High-fives, hugs, kisses discouraged as U.S. companies respond to growing coronavirus threat