Jahnavi Sarma
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Testing for the virus has now been extended to asymptomatic people who had contact with returnees from abroad. @Shutterstock
The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe. India, which initially seemed to have escaped the onslaught of the virus, is seeing a massive surge in cases in the last two days. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as of now the number of positive cases in the country have risen to 271. However, the Ministry of Health maintains that the figure is 258. Of these, 39 patients are foreign nationals. There have been 4 deaths so far and 23 people have been cured and discharged from hospital till date. As India gears up to face near-complete lockdown, health professionals are urging everyone to maintain social distancing and follow the precautionary measures.
The government is doing its best to contain the spread of the disease. Public places are being shut and prohibitionary orders passed. Testing for the virus has now been extended to asymptomatic people who had contact with returnees from abroad. So far, researchers from ICMR say that there is no evidence of community spread yet.
According to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, total number of coronavirus cases across the world stands at 259,215. The disease has so far claimed 11,283 people. But 87,377 have also recovered from this deadly virus. In the US, there are so far 17,402 positive cases and 221 deaths. It has spread to all the 50 states.
With Europe emerging as the new epicenter of the deadly coronavirus, most of the Western world is under lockdown. Cases are rising every day and the number of deaths in Italy now surpasses China. It is the worst hit area outside China and as of now it has 47,021 positive cases and 4,032 recorded deaths. So far, 4,440 patients have also recovered from the deadly disease here.
There is no cuyre or vaccine for COVID-19. Doctors are isolating patients and treating symptoms. But scientists are racing against time to develop a vaccine at record time. The human trial for one such vaccine has already started in the US. But it will be available in the market only after about a year. China and Europe have also started clinical trials for a vaccine. But the journey of a vaccine from trials to the market is a long one and people need to be prepared to wait for more than a year before they get the benefits.