Kerala nurse, infected with coronavirus in Saudi, recovering well: Minister

The nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital, says Muraleedharan

A total of 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for the virus in India | AP A total of 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for the virus in India | AP

A nurse from Kerala's Kottayam district, working at the Al Hayat hospital in Saudi Arabia, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus which has killed at least 17 people in China. Confirming the media reports, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on Thursday said that the affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well.

“About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well,” Muraleedharan tweeted.

He also said that the Consulate General of India in Jeddah is in touch with the hospital management and the Saudi foreign ministry. The consulate has been asked to provide all possible support, he added.

Reports claimed that at least 30 nurses from Kerala had been kept under isolation at the Al Hayat hospital. These nurses had taken care of a Filipino nurse who had tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged External Affairs minister S. Jaishankar to take up the matter with the Gulf nation and ensure expert treatment.

Vijayan made the request in a letter to Jaishankar in this regard, a statement from the chief minister's office said.

The government should get in touch with its counterpart in Saudi Arabia and take urgent steps including ensuring expert treatment and protection to those affected from the virus, Vijayan said in his letter.

In India, no positive case has been detected so far, the Union health ministry said on Thursday, adding that a total of 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for the virus.

Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan has asked states and Union territories to review hospital preparedness in terms of isolation and ventilator management of critically ill patients, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance and laboratory support, an official statement said.

The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India.

The ministry has instructed for in-flight announcements for India bound flights. A travel advisory was issued on January 17 and put up on the ministry's website and also on the Twitter handle for wider circulation.

With inputs from PTI