SHAH ALAM, Jan 30 — India and the Philippines have both confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus infection, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported today.
Citing a statement by India’s government, the patient in the southern state of Kerala was tested positive for the Wuhan virus.
The patient was said to be a student of Wuhan University in China and is currently in isolation at a hospital and is in stable condition.
CNA reported that an unnamed senior Indian government official said bringing home Indian nationals from Wuhan was not the best option due to to the risk of infection.
It was reported that India had prepared a state-carrier aeroplane to travel to Wuhan due to the increased pressure from the public, mostly students and their parents, following the move by the United States and Japan in pulling out their citizens.
However, the Indian government was awaiting approval from Chinese authorities, who were trying to sequence the evacuation process.
“Only those nationals who don’t have the virus will be airlifted, they will be brought into a quarantine facility outside Delhi,” CNA quoted the anonymous official.
Meanwhile, Philippine health officials have also confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque told a news conference that the 38-year-old Chinese woman, who travelled to the Philippines from Wuhan, China, via Hong Kong on January 21, is currently receiving treatment in a government hospital.
The new coronavirus, which started in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, has spread to more than 10 other countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, France and Australia.
In China, at least 170 people have died from the disease and almost 8,000 people have been infected with the virus.
