Coronavirus has taken over 300 lives and now sees the first death outside China. Not just that, second person from Kerala diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV. The first death outside China has been recorded in the Philippines after hundreds of lives have already been lost in China, particularly Wuhan, the epicentre for coronavirus. The outbreak has spread to other countries including India. According to reports, the first death outside China is of a 44-year-old Chinese man who was from the city of Wuhan as well and seemed to have been infected before arriving in the Philippines. "This is the first reported death outside China," Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the WHO representative to the Philippines, told reporters. Coronavirus Outbreak: Kerala Girl, Who Tested Positive for SARS-Like Virus, Stable; Govt Keeps 1,471 Suspects Under Observation.
India's Union Health Ministry has issued its new travel advisory that says, Indians should refrain from travelling to China and in the case of travel, on return from China, they could be quarantined. Anyone with travel history in China since January 15, 2020, and from now on could be quarantined. Coronavirus in India: Second Positive Case of Deadly nCoV Found in Kerala, Patient Has Travel History From China.
Prevention: Are Masks Helpful For Protection Against Coronavirus?
Since coronavirus is one of the most mysterious outbreaks, it is very difficult to say what exactly can prevent the condition. Just recently, the sales of masks were seen to be on an all-time high, increasing ten-folds after the outbreak. However, it is being said that masks aren't enough to protect you against coronavirus. CDC doesn't recommend it for the general public because it is not quite clear how exactly can masks benefit against the risk. More fitted "respirator masks" may be of some help but as Dr Schaffner said to CNN, "Good hand hygiene is always a really good idea to protect yourself from any viruses and other pathogens in your environment."
India's Union Health Ministry issued a statement that read: "As of today, 58,658 passengers from 445 flights have been screened. 130 samples have been tested of which 128 have been found to be negative. The two positive cases found in Kerala are being monitored and are clinically stable."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2020 09:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).