India reported its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Kerala. The patient is a student who was studying at Wuhan University, China.
"The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja has called a meeting with health secretary and other officials from the Directorate of Health Services to take stock of the situation.
One person each from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Malappuram and three from Ernakulam district have been kept in isolation wards of various health centres in the state.
Two days ago, a 28-year-old resident of Mohali, Punjab, who returned from China recently, was also admitted to the isolation ward of PGIMER, Chandigarh, after showing novel Coronavirus-like symptoms.
Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak which has now spread to many parts of the world. The nationwide death toll from the epidemic has jumped to 170, with 38 fatalities reported in the Hubei province.
The Indian government has also decided to evacuate over 250 Indians from the Chinese city of Wuhan where the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus has killed several people.
The Union health ministry has also urged passengers who have a travel history to China since January 1 to come forward and for self-reportting at the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms such as fever, cough, respiratory distress etc.