Coronavirus outbreak HIGHLIGHTS: UN agency declares global emergency over virus from China

Coronavirus outbreak Latest News Updates: One student in Kerala, who just returned from Wuhan tested positive for the novel Coronavirus and was admitted to the isolation ward in Thrissur District Hospital, state Health Minister KK Shyalaja teacher said Thursday.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi |Updated: January 31, 2020 2:19:23 am Coronavirus outbreak LIVE Updates: Death toll touches 170 in China; GoI plans evacuation of Indians

Coronavirus outbreak LIVE Updates: Death toll touches 170 in China; GoI plans evacuation of Indians

Coronavirus outbreak HIGHLIGHTS: Pakistan government has decided not to evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show “solidarity” with its ally, the special assistant to PM Imran Khan on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza told foreign news website Dawn. “We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China [to stay there]. It is in the larger interest of the region, world, country that we don’t evacuate them now,” he was quoted as saying at a press conference in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, at least 6000 people aboard a cruise in Italy were trapped after the ship was placed on lockdown over the virus scare as two suspected cases came up.

In India, after a Wuhan-return student tested positive for Coronavirus infection in Kerala on Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state was closely monitoring the situation, assuring it was “no cause for panic”. “The Minister for Health KK Shyalaja teacher has briefed me about the situation. We are closely monitoring the situation. While we need to be cautious, it is no cause for panic. Our health network is capable of handling any emergencies,” Vijayan wrote on Twitter. He added that a series of measures had been initiated to tackle the emergency and urged people to not spread rumours on social media.

Adding to the worry about the danger of fast-spreading Coronavirus that has claimed 170 lives in China, three Japanese people evacuated from China have been found to be infected with the flu. Two of them had not even shown symptoms, reported Reuters. The Chinese government on Thursday has confirmed 1,700 new infections, taking the number to 7,736.