Coronavirus Hits India’s Capital Delhi as Pandemic Fears Intensify

• China’s neighbour India confirms its fourth and fifth coronavirus-positive cases.
• The authorities are now evaluating individuals that were in contact with the two patients.
• New Delhi’s first case increases fear towards a true global pandemic.

India’s Ministry of Health has officially reported New Delhi’s first two cases of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Fears Of A Coronavirus Pandemic Is Rising

India, which has fought against the coronavirus outbreak better than most countries in Asia,

The first three cases of coronavirus in India were all reported in the state of Kerala . Since the cases were first identified, the city’s authorities published daily quarantine updates and the state of the three patients.

After days of hospitalization, two out of three patients tested negative from coronavirus, successfully recovering from the virus.

But, the case in New Delhi and Telengana impose threats of potential community spread, similar to the new cases of coronavirus detected in the U.S.

The government will have to identify all of the people that had contact with the two patients and the places they visited to ensure that anyone remotely linked to the two individuals are quarantined.

The Ministry of Health’s official statement read:

One positive case of COVID-19 has been detected in New Delhi, and one has been detected in Telangana. The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy, while the one from Telangana has a travel history from Dubai. Further details of his travels are being ascertained. Both the patients are stable and being closely monitored.

The additional cases of coronavirus in India come after South Korea reported more than 500 new cases overnight , taking the total tally to 4,200.

Will Pollution Make It Worse?

Last month, virologists presented a theory that China’s air pollution was worsening the impact of coronavirus on local residents.

In the past year, air pollution in New Delhi and other densely populated cities in India has increased to the point where ‘oxygen bars’ are becoming popular as a social hangout .

According to the British Lung Foundation, a high level of air pollution can increase the number of pollutants that enter the body . Lungs that are already weakened to long-term exposure to air pollution are generally more vulnerable to airborne diseases.

Coronavirus, due to its highly contagious nature, is considered to be an airborne disease. With scientists saying that even N95 masks struggle to protect individuals from coronavirus particles, the theory that lungs that have been weakened with air pollution can exacerbate coronavirus infection.