Coronavirus – How Did It Spread In India And Precautions For You

Coronavirus – How did it spread?

Six people from Agra — who were family and friends of Delhi-based infected man (who’d traveled to Italy around February last week) were also found to have caught it. Additionally, a group of Italian tourists who were touring Rajasthan (Jaiselmer, Udaipur, Jaipur, etc.) and the wife of an Italian man who had earlier tested positive. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan confirmed the figures and announced that all international passengers would be screened at airports henceforth.

How does one catch the infection?

This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land is infectious for about a week on average – everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.

Precautions we can take to avoid Coronavirus?

1. Washing hands

While washing hands, use an alcohol-based rub or soap and water to kill the pathogen. Do this as often as you can! Advice the caretaker in your absence to follow the same practice with your child.

2. Covering mouth

Use a disposable tissue, or your bent elbow, to cover your cough. this keeps virus-infected droplets away from those around you.

3. Embrace ‘Namaste’ and social distance, please

Stay at least a meter away from people who’re coughing or sneezing to avoid inhaling droplets.

4. Avoid touching your mouth

If the virus has contaminated your hands after contact with another surface, it can infect you through your eyes, nose or mouth.

5. What if, you are feeling unwell 🤧

Here’s a summary of WHO’s advice for people living in areas where the coronavirus is spreading, or who’ve traveled to such places in the past two weeks. First and foremost, follow the hygiene measures above. If you’re feeling under the weather, “even with mild symptoms such as headache and a slight runny nose”, then stay home till you get better. If you have fever, cough and breathing difficulties, go see a doctor. Inform her (or him) about your travel history. Tell her if you’ve come into contact with other travelers who may be at risk.

Coronavirus latest updates:

1. Screening

All passengers of international flights will have to undergo screening, and not just from the 12 countries* listed earlier, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. Close to 6,00,000 people have been screened at airports in two months, over 10 lakh screened at borders with Nepal and around 27,000 are currently under community surveillance, he added.

Additionally, amid the rising cases of coronavirus affliction, India on 11th March barred entry of the nationals of three more countries, France, Germany, and Spain, suspending the regular as well as e-Visas granted to them till date, if they have not yet entered the country. As per the latest travel advisory issued by the government of India in response to Coronavirus, all visas, and e-visas issued to nationals of France, Germany, and Spain who have not entered India stand suspended with immediate effect. The total number of coronavirus infected cases have surpassed 110,000 thousand globally including deaths almost touching 4,000.

2. Critical Preparedness, Readiness, and Response

WHO has defined four transmission scenarios for COVID-19:

1. Countries with no cases (No cases)

2. Countries with 1 or more cases, imported or locally detected (Sporadic cases)

3. Countries experiencing cases clusters in time, geographic location and/or common exposure (Clusters of cases)

4. Countries experiencing larger outbreaks of local transmission (Community transmission).

As of today’s reports, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has surpassed 100 000. As we mark this somber moment, the World Health Organization (WHO) reminds all countries and communities that the spread of this virus can be significantly slowed or even reversed through the implementation of robust containment and control activities. 

China and other countries are demonstrating that spread of the virus can be slowed and impact reduced through the use of universally applicable actions, such as working across society to identify people who are sick, bringing them to care, following up on contacts, preparing hospitals and clinics to manage a surge in patients, and training health workers.

2. Italy – the second hub

Total Coronavirus cases in India: 15,113

Italy’s connection with India: Of the total coronavirus cases in India, one is a 45-year-old man from Delhi. He had recently gone to Italy (but traveled via Vienna, and so he steered clear of screening*), which is fast emerging as a hub for the outbreak after China. Six others are his family members from Agra. They apparently contracted an infection from him. A Bengaluru-based techie in Hyderabad** tested had positive on Monday. The first three coronavirus patients in the country from Kerala, who contracted infection last month, have been cured.

*According to sources, the Delhi patient was not screened at the airport because he flew in from Austria, where the outbreak has not been declared serious. The crew of the Air India flight that flew him last week has been asked to stay in isolation at their homes for 14 days. A similar advisory has been issued to other passengers.

**The affected passenger in Hyderabad -a techie from Bengaluru – had travelled on an IndiGo flight on February 20. The crew of the flight have been placed under observation.

3. Italian traveler group in Rajasthan

Fourteen of the 16 infected Italian tourists are quarantined in Delhi. They were a part of a group of 23 Italians, which traveled to Rajasthan last month. One of them – currently in Jaipur – tested positive on Tuesday; his wife has also tested positive. This is the biggest group in the country to be infected with the coronavirus.

4. Avoid crowded places

Experts across the world have advised reducing mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted an appeal to “everyone to avoid public gatherings” and said he too would not participate in any Holi events.

5. Stay safe

The novel coronavirus spreads through contact with droplets spread during coughing and sneezing, doctors say. Besides keeping contact to a minimum with an infected person, the preventive measures include frequent washing of hands and use of hand sanitizers. Fresh tissues should be used while sneezing and coughing and then discarded, to ensure the virus does not spread.

Keep following thechampatree.in for coronavirus latest updates!

Coronavirus myths busted

Source: NDTVIndia.com; WHO; The Economic Times