India Ranks 17th Among Countries At Risk Of Coronavirus Import, Says Study

The paranoia around Coronavirus is rising with each passing day and for obvious reasons. The death toll due to the outbreak in China has increased to a tragic 811 (as on Sunday) and has surpassed the number of deaths reported at the time of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. While people in China are severely affected, a recent study has revealed the top 30 counties that are at the maximum risk of importing the fatal virus. And the bad news is India ranks on the 17th spot. Till now, three cases have already been reported from the state of Kerala so far. Kerala Health Department On SUnday informed that as many as 3252 people are under observation across the state.

What Does The Report Say?

According to a study (called Relative Import Risk Assessment) conducted by Humboldt University in Berlin, India is the 17th most prone country to import cases of the virus. The import risk at airports has been extensively studied where passengers from China are most likely to go. Among the airports in our country, the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi is at major risk along with other airports in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. 

“The spread of the virus on an international scale is dominated by air travel,” said the study.

Also read: Conspiracy Theories About Coronavirus You Shouldn’t Believe

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The foundation of the mathematical model used for the Relative Import Risk Assessment is a worldwide air transporation network (WAN) that connects approximately 4,000 airports with more than 25,000 direct connections.

This particular model accounts for both, the current distribution of confirmed cases across China and also the airport closures via mitigation strategy. It is based on the concept of effective distance.

Other Countries At Risk

While India ranks 17th, there are other countries too that are at major risk of importing coronavirus cases. These are: Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia, according to what has been stated in the model. According to the research, Thailand’s national import risk is 2.1 percent, and India, on the other hand, is at 0.2 percent.

 

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