Coronavirus: 6 Cases 'High-Viral Load' Detected in Agra

New Delhi: A day after two new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID- 19) – one in Delhi and other in Telangana- had been reported, the Health Ministry on Tuesday said six cases with "high-viral load" were detected during sample testing in Agra and these people have been kept in isolation.

The six people had come in contact with a 45-year-old patient from Delhi, whose case came to light on Monday, and they include his family members. According to government sources, the man, who is a resident of Mayur Vihar, had visited them in Agra. The six have been kept in isolation at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and their samples are being sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for confirmation.

Contact tracing of the people who came in contact with the six is simultaneously being done through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) network, the ministry said in a statement.

Sources said the patient from Mayur Vihar was shifted to a quarantine ward at Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday night. His other family members have been asked to stay alert and look out for symptoms. One accountant, who came in contact with the man and some of his family members, was also quarantined, they said.

The infected person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while the other patient who tested positive for the COVID-19 infection is from Telangana and had recently travelled to Dubai. Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms.

"They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored," ministry said on Monday.

The person in Delhi had self-reported at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after returning to India, while the one in Telangana had initially gone to a private medical facility and then was referred to a government hospital in the state, the minister said.

India had earlier reported three cases from Kerala, including two medical students from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus. They had self-reported on their return to the country and tested positive for the infection. They were discharged from hospitals last month following recovery.

Visa Suspension, Travel Advisory

Meanwhile, the government has issued a travel advisory, suspending all regular visas/e-visas granted on or before March 3 to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan who have not yet entered India, a day after two fresh cases of coronavirus was reported in the country.

In view of the emerging global scenarios regarding COVID19 disease, in supersession of all earlier advisories, the government also issued a new travel advisory.

The advisory also suspends visa on arrival (VoA) issued on or before March 3 to Japanese and South Korean nationals who have not yet entered India.

Those requiring to travel to India due to compelling reasons, may seek fresh visa from nearest Indian embassy/consulate, said the advisory.

The advisory said regular (sticker) visas/e-visas granted to all foreign nationals who have travelled to China, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Japan on or after February 1 and who have not yet entered India stand suspended with immediate effect.

It also said diplomats, officials of UN and other International bodies, OCI cardholders and aircrew from above countries are exempted from such restriction on entry. However, their medical screening is compulsory.

Vardhan also advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore and said India was in discussions with authorities in Iran and Italy, two badly affected countries by the infection, to evacuate Indians there.

"Depending on the situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries," Vardhan had said on Monday.

Asked if there could be a drug shortage in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) come from China, Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge who has informed that "we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now".

Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance.

Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for a possible exposure to the virus, he said, adding a total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far.

He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal.

Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 cases with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 across the country are currently hospitalised and their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said.

Rajasthan Reports a Case

On Monday, Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma had said that an Italian tourist tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur. The first sample collected from him on February 29 tested negative but his condition deteriorated, so a second sample was collected which tested positive on Monday, the minister said, adding, "Since there is a variation in the reports, the samples have been sent to the NIV, Pune for testing".

The novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which originated in China, has spread to over 60 countries, including the US, Italy and Iran. China’s National Health Commission, (NHC) said on Tuesday it received reports of 125 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths on Monday in the country.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 89,527 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,056 deaths reported globally in 67 countries.

Meanwhile, six people died of the deadly virus in the United States, while over 90 confirmed cases have been reported from the country. South Korea reported 29 COVID-19 deaths and 477 more confirmed cases, raising the total number of infections to 4,812.

In Japan, the total number of infected cases increased to 980, while 12 people died of the disease. Italy reported a jump in the death toll to 52, with more than 2,036 people infected with the virus. In Iran, the virus has claimed 66 lives, while confirmed cases climbed to more than 1,500. Three people have died of the disease in France, while the confirmed cases increased to 191.

Economic Impact

The coronavirus spread can impact India''s March quarter GDP growth by 0.20%= as imports from China for crucial sectors have got affected, a foreign brokerage said on Monday.

The country’s economic growth is already sagging and is set to slide to a decadal low of 5% in 2019-20 as per official estimates. Data for the December 2019 quarter released last week said growth had slid to a seven-year low of 4.7%.

In a report, UBS Securities said sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and automobiles can see supply disruptions in value chain, which may lead to a derailment of the domestic economic growth.

The Reserve Bank on Tuesday also said it was closely monitoring global as well as domestic situation regarding the impact of deadly coronavirus and ready to take necessary action to ensure orderly functioning of financial markets.

Globally, financial markets have been experiencing considerable volatility, with the spread of coronavirus, triggering risk-off sentiments and flights to safe haven, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement.

API Export Curbs

Exports of certain APIs and formulations, including Paracetamol, Vitamin B1 and B12, have been put under restricted category amid the coronavirus outbreak in China, according to a government notification on Tuesday. Now, export of 26 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations require licence from the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT).

"Export of specified APIs and formulations made from these APIs ...is hereby restricted with immediate effect and till further orders, " the DGFT said in the notification.