The Coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, has spread to several countries across the world. Last week, the World Health Organisation officially declared it a global pandemic. As of today, the total number of infected cases stands at 169,610 and the virus has claimed 6,518 lives so far. In India, a total of 110 positive cases have been confirmed, while two people have died after getting infected. As the number of infections has been surging on a daily basis, the government has taken a number of steps to curb the outbreak.
If you have come in contact with someone who might have the virus, or are experiencing flu-like symptoms including runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever and difficulty breathing, here’s a list of safety measures you can take, and also what to do if you need to get tested.
Press Trust Of India
Measures To Follow
If you suspect that you might have caught the novel Coronavirus? Here are a few precautions you could take:
1. Isolate yourself. The more people you interact with, the more you risk infecting them.
2. If you must leave your house, wear a surgical mask, and cover your face with a tissue.
3. If you have come in contact with a person with a travel history to the affected countries, please call on the government-issued official helpline numbers immediately.
4. If you have a travel history or suspect that you might be infected, DO NOT make a trip to the hospital, as you will risk infecting other people. Instead, follow the instructions given to you by the government helpline and produce yourself at the hospital only at the time and place they tell you.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health also declared that first and second confirmatory tests are free of cost for all citizens. If you have symptoms or have travelled to countries with coronavirus cases such as Italy and China, you should call on the govt helpline number: 011-2397 8046. The helpline service will note down your contact details and will contact you with the testing protocols of COVID-19. If you qualify as a case for testing as per the protocol, you will be tested at a government approved-laboratory.
Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary, Ministry of Health: Both first and second confirmatory tests for COVID-19 are free for all citizens. The country has enough capacity as only 10 percent of the capacity has been utilized per day so far. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/JXbK2CXw0I
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2020
Statewise List Of Helpline Numbers
The number dedicated for any information and medical help about coronavirus disease in India is +91-11-23978046
Here’s a list of the numbers you can call depending on your location:
States:
Andhra Pradesh: 08662410978
Arunachal Pradesh: 9436055743
Assam: 6913347770
Bihar: 104
Chhattisgarh: 104
Goa: 104
Gujarat: 104
Haryana: 8558893911
Himachal Pradesh: 104
Jharkhand: 104
Karnataka: 104
Kerala: 0471-2552056
Madhya Pradesh: 0755-2527177
Maharashtra: 020-26127394
Manipur: 3852411668
Meghalaya: 108
Mizoram: 102
Nagaland: 7005539653
Odisha: 9439994859
Punjab: 104
Rajasthan: 0141-2225624
Sikkim: 104
Tamil Nadu: 044-29510500
Telangana: 104
Tripura: 0381-2315879
Uttarakhand: 104
Uttar Pradesh: 18001805145
West Bengal: 1800313444222, 03323412600,
Union Territories:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands: 03192-232102
Chandigarh: 9779558282
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu: 104
Delhi: 011-22307145
Jammu & Kashmir: 01912520982, 0194-2440283
Ladakh: 01982256462
Lakshadweep: 104
Puducherry: 104
List Of Testing Centres
If you feel like your symptoms are severe, and have been directed by a medical professional to get tested, head to the nearest testing centre in your state:
Andhra Pradesh
1. Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati
2. Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
1. GMC, Anantapur, AP
2. Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar
Assam
1. Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati
2. Regional Medical Research Center, Dibrugarh
Bihar
1. Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna
Chandigarh
1. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
1. All India Institute Medical Sciences, Raipur
Delhi-NCR
1. All India Institute Medical Sciences, Delhi
2. National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi
Gujarat
1. BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad
2. M.P.Shah Government Medical College, Jamnagar
Haryana
1. Pt. B.D. Sharma Post Graduate Inst. of Med. Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana
2. BPS Govt Medical College, Sonipat
Himachal Pradesh
1. Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
2. Dr.Rajendra Prasad Govt. Med. College, Kangra, Tanda, HP
Jammu and Kashmir
1. Sher-e- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar
2. Government Medical College, Jammu
Jharkhand
1. MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur
Karnataka
1. Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, Bangalore
2. National Institute of Virology Field Unit Bangalore
3. Mysore Medical College & Research Institute, Mysore
4. Hassan Inst. of Med. Sciences, Hassan, Karnataka
5. Shimoga Inst. of Med. Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka
Kerala
1. National Institute of Virology Field Unit, Kerala
2. Govt. Medical College, Thriuvananthapuram, Kerala
3. Govt. Medical College, Kozhikhode, Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
1. All India Institute Medical Sciences, Bhopal
2. National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur
Meghalaya
1. NEIGRI of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, Meghalaya
Maharashtra
1. Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur
2. Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Mumbai
Manipur
1. J N Inst. of Med. Sciences Hospital, Imphal-East, Manipur
Odisha
1. Regional Medical Research Center, Bhubaneswar
Puducherry
1. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry
Punjab
1. Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab
2. Government Medical College, Amritsar
Rajasthan
1. Sawai Man Singh, Jaipur
2. Dr. S.N Medical College, Jodhpur
3. Jhalawar Medical College, Jhalawar, Rajasthan
4. SP Med. College, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
1. King’s Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research, Chennai
2. Government Medical College, Theni
Tripura
1. Government Medical College, Agartala
Telangana
1. Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad
Uttar Pradesh
1. King’s George Medical University, Lucknow
2. Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
3. Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh
Uttarakhand
1. Government Medical College, Haldwani
West Bengal
1. National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata
2. IPGMER, Kolkata
Remember, prevention is better than cure, and presently the best preventative measure is to limit social interaction. So follow at the safety guidelines issued by the government, don’t fall for fake news and keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
Featured Image: Shutterstock
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