Coronavirus-hit girl better; report if you have returned from China: Govt

Condition of the girl who was tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in Kerala is improving and has been shifted to the Thrissur Medical College, state Health Minister KK Shailaja said on Friday. 

She was initially admitted and kept under isolation at the Thrissur General Hospital.

The minister said that those admitted to the hospital with symptoms are not critical and asked people not to panic. She requested people, who have returned from China to report at the nearest health centers, and urged them not to attend public functions, including marriages.  

"The virus can spread even without showing any symptoms. So it is important that anyone who had returned from China should report to the Health Department. At least they should inform the nearest medical officer. Some students in isolation in Thrissur have voluntarily reported but others have not. We don't want a situation where a case goes unreported in Kerala,” the health minister said.

The minister and her team reached Thrissur on Thursday night and assessed the situation. She also called for an emergency meeting of representatives from the private hospitals.

As many as 1,053 individuals, including the 247 brought under surveillance on Thursday, are under observation, while 15 are under treatment in hospitals and the rest are quarantined in their homes.

The highest number of suspected cases are in Kozhikode, 166, close behind are Malappuram (154), Ernakulam (153), Kollam (100) and Thiruvananthapuram (83), Idukki (14) and Wayanad (16).

The girl, who had tested positive in the preliminary test, was one of the four medical students returned from China's Wuhan. All the four medicos from Wuhan University had reported to the hospital with a sore throat. The results of the other three are yet to come.

The student came back to Kerala before the travel restrictions were in place. The student has been under observation since then.