Coronavirus Making Inroads In India, Italian Man Tests Positive In Rajasthan, 6th Reported Case

An Italian man who was visiting Rajasthan has tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) making it the sixth case reported in India so far. According to Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma, the tourist was first tested at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh hospital on Saturday after he showed symptoms of Covid-19, which turned out to be negative.

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He was tested again after his condition deteriorated and the second report stated that he had been infected. The minister said a second sample was then collected and he tested positive for the virus, according to the report received on Monday.

"Since there is variation in the test reports, samples have been sent to NIV-Pune for testing," the minister said.

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Following the development, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a high-level meeting to assess the situation. He has also asked to identify and screen people with whom the Italian tourist had come in contact during his visit.

Gehlot directed that the central government's guidelines about coronavirus are followed completely and if any person shows symptoms then that person be fully screened.

Italy is one of the hotspots of the Covid-19 and has recorded 52 deaths in the country so far, the highest in Europe and the third highest in the world after China and Iran. The number of confirmed cases in Europe¡¯s worst-hit country had risen to 1,835.

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On Monday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had confirmed that there were two new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in India, one in Delhi and another one in Telangana.

Both the patients who have tested positive had a history of foreign travel. The person from Delhi had recently travelled to Italy, while the one from Telangana had a travel history from Dubai.

The Health Minister had also said that passengers coming from 12 countries will be screened at airports to check for the infection. "We are already prepared in advance and are closely monitoring other countries. We are also discussing if we have to revise any of our decisions, amplify it or focus in any particular direction," he said.

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The three other confirmed cases in India were reported in Kerala on medical students who had returned from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The three patients who were kept in isolation at hospitals have since recovered and have been discharged.

The unprecedented outbreak of the epidemic continues to expand rapidly worldwide, topping 90,000 cases and 3,000 deaths.