New Delhi:
India has seen the number of coronavirus cases rising to 28, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced on Wednesday.
Benchmark indices were trading lower on Wednesday, dragged down by selling in banks and metal counters, as Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in India have risen to 28.
Of the total number of coronavirus cases, 6 are from Agra, 1 in Delhi, 16 Italians and their Indian driver, 1 in Telangana and 3 in Kerala. The patients in Agra are relatives of a Delhi-based man who tested positive for disease.
Twenty-two of these cases were confirmed today making it the biggest single-day spike since the outbreak was first reported.
"So far India has reported 28 positive coronavirus cases, this includes 16 Italians," the minister said.
Addressing the media about the recent rise in the COVID-19 cases in India, the minister said, "From now on, all flights and passengers will be part of universal screening, not just those to the 12 countries which we had listed earlier."
Six positive cases were reported in Agra. They are all relatives of the Delhi-based man who tested positive earlier and caught the infection from him.
Meanwhile, tech giant Intel said one of its employees in Bengaluru had "potentially been exposed" to the coronavirus and is currently under quarantine.
According to the Health Ministry, about 5,89,000 people were screened at airports and over 15,000 people at minor and major seaports and over 10 lakhs at the border of Nepal, till Tuesday.
Last month, three cases were recorded in Kerala. All three patients have now recovered and were discharged from hospital.
The Union Health Minister has requested all hospitals in Delhi to develop good quality isolation wards, in order to stay prepared for more coronavirus cases.
Global deaths due to the coronavirus outbreak on Monday rose above 3,000 with the new count in China mainland rising to 2,912.