Kozhikode, January 25: The scare of coronavirus outbreak continues in India, with 11 cases being reported from four cities in the span of last 24 hours. The maximum cases have surfaced in Kerala, where seven have been admitted at a Thiruvananthapuram hospital after being detected with mild symptoms of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)-like virus. Coronavirus Spreads Beyond China, More to The East: Mapping The SARS-Like Virus Amid Casualties in South Korea, Japan, Thailand.

Two other patients in Mumbai, and one each in Hyderabad and Bengaluru were admitted to isolation wards on Friday after they returned from China. All of them have tested negative for coronavirus. They would, however, be kept under watch for the next few days with doctors advising them to maintain isolation.

In Kerala, over 80 people returning from mainland China and Hong Kong were screened as the Health Ministry fears that people returning from the Southeast Asian nation may have contracted the deadly virus. While 73 among them showed no signs of being infected, seven were diagnosed with mild symptoms, confirmed Dr Amar Fettle, Kerala's officer-in-charge for communication on coronavirus.

An official of the medical department told reporters that one among the seven admitted patients showed no symptoms of the SARS-like virus, but was kept in isolation ward as he was severely anxious and needed counselling.

The samples of two among the admitted patients have been sent for testing. If tested positive, theirs would be the first case of coronavirus in India. The fatal disease, which spread through human-to-human interface, has claimed 41 lives so far, primarily in China's Wuhan and Hubei region. Casualties have also been recorded in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2020 09:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).