(Image source from: Bloomberg.com)
While the novel coronavirus which is named as COVID- 19 is spreading from China at an alarming rate all across the globe, the country India is said to be appearing at higher risk because of the existence of dense population in the country, patchy health- care system and high rate of migration.
The government of India has revealed that around 23,531 people are under observation for the deadly coronavirus while only three cases have been confirmed. The neighboring countries of India namely Sri Lanka and Pakistan have also recorded the cases of people being infected by COVID- 19 while Sri Lanks has reported one infection and Pakistan has disclosed its first patients this week which were two people who had separately travelled while returning from Iran and one of whom had said to be on a tour with 28 people.
The World Health organization has warned the new cases are appearing faster in the countries outside China and not within China where the virus has been originated at the Wuhan city of China which is said to be the epicentre of the disease.
Kasisomayajula Viswanath who is a professor at the TH Chan School of Public Health has said that as few cases of the virus have already been detected and once it starts to spread, it would be spreading at an alarming rate.
The country India is said to be at high threat because of its population where in 420 people are said to live on each square kilometer while comparing with the coronavisrus- hit China where it has been noted that 148 people live on each square kilometer. The dense population seems to be a main criteria as the deadly coronavirus is said to spread through the virus- bearing droplets which are emitted by breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing.
The first case of coronavirus in Pakistan is appeared to have come from its neighboring Iran which has emerged as the center of the outbreak in the Middle East where in they have been at least 245 cases that have been confirmed as being infected of the deadly coronavirus and around 26 deaths that have been caused by the deadly COVID-19.
Pakistan has suspended all its flights to China, Japan and it has now stopped all its flights to Iran as well. Pakistan has also declined to evacuate its citizens who are stranded in the city of Wuhan of China which is said to be the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus.
Harsh Vardhan who is the health minister of India has said that he feels extremely proud of the response that the country India has done so far which includes input from the armed forces, national carrier Air India and the embassies abroad. The authorities of India have also been screening the travellers at the airports, seaports and also at the border crossings. It has said that there have been three confirmed cases in India and all the three have been confirmed as being infected by the deadly coronavirus have been discovered in the southern state of Kerala and that all the three individuals who have been infected by the virus are now discharged from the hospital.
Coronavirus which has been named as COVID - 19 has been first detected in the Wuhan city of China and this virus is said to have spread at an alarming rate claiming lives of several people and infecting many more. The first case of death that is caused by the deadly coronavirus has been recorded in Philippines. It has been recorded that the coronavirus has spread to over 37 countries around the globe.
- Shrithika Kushangi