This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-51866903

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Coronavirus: First death confirmed in India Coronavirus: First death confirmed in India
(about 4 hours later)
India has recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus, officials confirmed.India has recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus, officials confirmed.
The 76-year-old man, from the southern state of Karnataka, had returned from Saudi Arabia on 29 February after a month-long visit. The 76-year-old man, from the southern state of Karnataka, returned from Saudi Arabia on 29 February after a month-long visit.
The state's health minister said that the people who came in contact with the person were being traced and quarantined. People who came in contact with the man, who died on Tuesday, are being traced and quarantined, the state's health minister said.
India has 73 confirmed cases of the virus, the health ministry says.India has 73 confirmed cases of the virus, the health ministry says.
The man died on Tuesday but his test results were made public on Thursday. The dead man's test results were only made public on Thursday.
Officials said he was screened at the airport when he arrived from Saudi Arabia, but showed no symptoms at the time. Officials say he was screened at the airport when he arrived from Saudi Arabia but showed no symptoms at the time.
He had breathing difficulties on 5 March and was subsequently taken to a hospital. After he developed difficulties last week, he was taken to hospital.
India has taken a number of steps to halt the spread of Covid-19. India has taken a number of steps to halt the spread of Covid-19:
The advisory, issued on Wednesday night, says that only diplomatic, official, employment and project visas will be exempt from the current restrictions, which take effect on Friday and will be reviewed again in a month. India's health ministry says it was among the first countries in the world to prepare for an outbreak of the respiratory illness, and denied allegations that it was slow in testing suspected cases.
However, it has said that even those allowed in could be subject to 14 days of quarantine and has warned against "non-essential travel". "Our surveillance system is strong and we are able to quickly identify any symptomatic patients," RR Gangakhedkar from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told reporters on Thursday.
All schools, colleges and movie theatres in the capital, Delhi, will be shut until 31 March in a bid to help control the spread of the virus, the city's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday. However, there are concerns about whether the country will be fully equipped to prevent and treat an outbreak.
Several departments of the government have been coordinating India's response to the outbreak. In a media briefing on Thursday, officials said there was no need to panic. It would be near impossible for India to force its citizens into mass quarantine and hospitalise people in numbers like China, says the BBC's Soutik Biswas.
Our correspondent says there are also concerns about the country's scanty healthcare data. India has a shoddy record in even recording deaths and disease - only 77% of deaths are registered, and doctors are more likely to get the cause of death wrong than right, according to a study the Toronto-based Centre for Global Research. There is patchy data for flu-related deaths.
Rumours, myths and misconceptions spread through social media could also hurt an effective response to the infection.