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

1:47 PM

Won't participate in any Holi Milan celebration this year, says Amit Shah

1:30 PM

Coronavirus update: Virus fear spooks investors, Sensex falls over 600 points

1:01 PM

Delhi man infects 6 other relatives in Agra. All are positive. Contact tracing of 66 people done related to Delhi man

12:50 PM

From now on, all flights and passengers will be part of universal screening

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan: From now on, all flights and passengers will be part of universal screening, not just the 12 countries which we had listed earlier.

12:47 PM

Coronavirus update: 6 Indians test positive in Agra

12:43 PM

Coronavirus: 28 test positive in India

12:36 PM

Odisha govt advisory to keep coronavirus at bay

The Odisha government has in its list of dos and dont's asked people to avoid hugging, shaking hands while greeting and keep their workplace clean to ward off coronavirus infection.

 

The state government issued the workplace advisory based on the containment plan prepared by the Health Ministry to tackle the Covid-19 disease.

 

Asking the employers to ensure workplace cleanliness, it mentioned, "Surfaces (desks and tables) and objects (telephone, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant like 70 per cent alcohol regularly."

 

Soaps or sanitizing hand rub should be provided near wash basins and water supply should be ensured as frequent hand washing kills the virus and prevents spread of Covid-19, it said.

12:35 PM

6 suspected cases in Noida test negative

12:33 PM

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan: We have requested all hospitals in Delhi to develop good quality isolation wards, in order to stay prepared if more cases of CoronaVirus are suspected in the national capital.

12:32 PM

Have requested Delhi government to prepare for isolation in hospitals: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

12:28 PM

No need to panic from coronavirus, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said that there is no need to panic from coronavirus and all possible arrangements have been made by the government to deal with the situation.

 

"There is no room for panic. All the arrangement that could have possibly been made, have been made against coronavirus. Prime Minister has said and the Health Minister has said that we are fully prepared for handling this situation," Puri told reporters.

 

"From identifying the source countries to imposing a travel restriction on people coming from those countries -- every measure has been put in place. Screening at airports, lab facilities, clinical testing, and the quarantine facilities -- all are being done," he added.

12:18 PM

China approves use of Roche arthritis drug for coronavirus patients

China will use a Roche Holding AG arthritis drug to treat some coronavirus patients in severe conditions, health authorities said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to build up treatment regiments to help the infected recover.

 

Tocilizumab, sold by the Swiss pharma giant under the trade name Actemra, can be prescribed to coronavirus patients who show serious lung damage and show elevated level of a protein called Interleukin 6, which could indicate inflammation or immunological diseases, the National Health Commission said in the latest version of its treatment guidelines published online.

 

Actemra can help contain inflammation related to Interleukin 6, according to Roche.

 

There is no clinical trial evidence yet that the drug will be effective on coronavirus patients, however. Actemra also has not received approval from China's National Medical Product Administration to be sold for use for coronavirus infections.

 

Chinese researchers recently registered a 3-month clinical trial for Actemra that will recruit 188 coronavirus patients and take place from Feb. 10 to May 10, according to records shown on China's clinical trials registration database.

12:11 PM

PM Narendra Modi to stay away from 'Holi Milan' events

11:40 AM

RML, Safdarjung hospitals made nodal offices to deal with Coronavirus: Satyendar Jain

In view of Coronavirus scare and the first positive case being reported from the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday informed that Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) and Safdarjung hospitals had been made nodal offices to deal with a possible outbreak.

 

"Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) and Safdarjung hospitals have been made nodal offices for the programme. The government has arranged over 3 lakh N95 masks for medical staff, patients and others," said Jain at a press conference where Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was also present.

 

He said 8,000 medial kits have been procured for medical staff treating patients and a total of 230 beds are being arranged in the 25 hospitals to treat people in case of an outbreak.

11:20 AM

Japanese coronavirus infections reach 1,000, Olympics preparations on track

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan reached the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, as the government reiterated that plans to host the Tokyo Summer Olympics in July remained on track. The newest infection case was confirmed in a man in his 40s in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, the prefecture's governor, Tsugumasa Muraoka, told a news conference.

 

Cases in Japan have now hit the 1,000 mark, public broadcaster NHK said. Of those, 706 are from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, while 12 have died, the health ministry said.

 

Meanwhile, the government's top spokesman said on Wednesday that Japan would go ahead in preparing to host the Olympics as planned, amid speculation they could be postponed because of the coronavirus threat.

 

"We would steadily proceed with our preparations while closely coordinating with the IOC (the International Olympic Committee) and the organising committee," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular news conference.