WHO warns governments "Coronavirus is a real crisis"

India reports another case of coronavirus today, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 31. A Delhi resident of Uttam Nagar has tested positive for the novel coronavirus today. The patient has a history of travelling to Thailand and Malaysia, confirmed Union Health Ministry. The latest case is the third in Delhi.

"One suspected COVID19 case has been confirmed as positive. The patient is from Delhi. He has a travel history to Thailand and Malaysia. He is stable and being monitored. The total number of confirmed cases in India now stands at 31," a health ministry official said. A middle-aged man from Ghaziabad tested positive for the coronavirus disease on Thursday.

The positive cases of coronavirus include a resident from Delhi's Mayur Vihar and six of his relatives from Agra whom he had recently visited. Another is a Paytm employee who works in Gurgaon and lives in west Delhi. They are all being treated at the Safdarjung hospital.

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday asked states to form rapid response teams at district, block and village levels, stating cases of community transmission have been observed. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked the private hospitals in the Delhi-NCR region to join hands with the government hospitals to fight this global pandemic.

A total of 35 labs have been identified for collecting and testing of samples coronavirus cases, according to the Health Ministry statement. The number of such labs would be increased to 100 plus, it said.

As the number of coronavirus cases increase in India, the government has also decided to screen all international flights and passengers coming into the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said. The central government has also made COVID-19 free certificate mandatory for travellers from Italy and South Korea.

"Our message to all countries is: This is not a one-way street. We can push this virus back. Your actions now will determine the course of the outbreak in your country," he said.
Tedros' comments come amid mounting criticism of apparent disparities in testing and the response of authorities worldwide. In Japan, there is growing anxiety that the number of coronavirus cases could be significantly higher than reported, with experts questioning the country's approach to testing as infection rates continue to climb.

The Japanese government says it has the capacity to carry out 3,800 tests a day, however, only 8,111 tests had been conducted as of March 4, according to the country's Health Ministry.
In neighboring South Korea, infections have surged dramatically, with more than 6,500 confirmed cases after the government tested tens of thousands of people as part of a mass screening drive aimed at better mapping and controlling the virus' spread.

To date, over 97,850 infections have been confirmed worldwide, and more than 3,300 people have been killed by the virus, according to CNN's tally.

The majority of virus-related cases are in China, though the rate of new infections and fatalities there has slowed. The country's National Health Commission (NHC) reported that as of the end of the day Thursday, 3,042 people had died after contracting the virus and 80,552 cases had been confirmed. More than 53,700 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital, per the NHC.