No coronavirus case out of 1,582 under watch in Gujarat

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Gujarat Health Department on Wednesday said none of the 1,582 people kept under observation after returning from coronavirus-hit countries has so far been found to be infected by the potentially deadly virus. Elaborate arrangements have been made to deal with any situation arising out of the outbreak of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, it said.

"A total of 1,582 people, who came from countries which are having the outbreak of coronavirus, have been kept under house observation in Gujarat but so far we do not have any positive case in the state," health commissioner Jai Prakash Shivhare told reporters here.

Out of the 1,582 people, 25 were tested for COVID-19 and all of them have tested negative, he said. Of these people, 964came here from China, 147 from Thailand, 131 from Australia, while the remaining came from various other countries, he said.

Shivhare said 87 people who recently returned from Iran are kept under house observation and are being monitored by health officials. As per the government's instructions, passengers coming from the coronavirus-affected countries are being screened at the international airports, he said.

The state government has decided to set up isolation wards in every district, the official said. Till now, the COVID-19 isolation wards were functional

in some civil hospitals only.

Private hospitals have also been asked to keep isolation wards ready, Shivhare said, adding there is no shortage of medicines or masks in the state and nobody should rush to buy them.

He said maintaining personal hygiene, like washing hands and covering face while sneezing are very important to prevent the infection and people should avoid going to crowded places.

"Those who have a cold should stay indoors. Such people should contact us and we will send our team for sample testing to their homes," he said.

There is no need to panic as the government is equipped to deal with the crisis and extensive training has been given to the staff to deal with it, the official said.  So far, 28 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country. Three of the patients have recovered.

The coronavirus, which was first detected in China in December last year, has now spread to 60 countries in Europe, the US, Latin America and other parts of Asia.

More than 3,100 people have died, most of them in China and over 90,000 have been infected worldwide by the virus.

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