Coronavirus: over 100 people under observation in India

Over 100 people have been kept under observation in the Indian states on Kerala and Maharashtra following screening for a possible exposure to novel coronavirus, or nCoV, according to India Today.

No positive case has been detected in India so far although samples of seven passengers have been sent to a Pune lab, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

An around-the-clock call centre has been made operational.

Samples of four other passengers tested earlier have been confirmed to be negative for nCoV by the lab.

"Today, 99 new passengers arrived in the state. This makes a total of 179 persons under surveillance. Only seven people have any kind of symptoms. They have mild symptoms. We have sent their blood and respiratory specimen samples to the National Institute of Virology, Pune," said a senior health official of Kerala.

A person each from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Malappuram and three from Ernakulam are in the isolation wards of various health centres in the state.

In Maharashtra, two of the three persons admitted to a hospital in Mumbai for possible exposure to the coronavirus have tested negative for infection but are still under observation as a precaution, while blood test results of a third person were awaited, according to officials.

The Prime Minister's Office on Saturday reviewed India's preparedness to deal with any situation amid mounting global concerns over rising cases in China.