India has become the 20th country to confirm a case of coronavirus which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has so far claimed 170 lives. The case could be the tip of the iceberg with a further 800 Indians are currently under observation after displaying symptoms of the disease. The confirmed patient is a female student from the state of Kerala who had contracted the disease while studying at Wuhan University before returning home for a holiday. The Indian Government has said the student is in a stable condition and is being treated in isolation in a hospital in Thrissur district. “We had sent blood samples of 20 people from Kerala, of which 10 returned as negative. Out of six that were pending, the sample of a female student from Wuhan has come back as positive,” said Kerala’s health minister K.K. Shylaja Teacher. India is the world’s second most heavily populated country after China and public health experts have expressed fears over the highly-contagious virus spreading in its densely populated cities.

Public healthcare facilities in India are underfunded and understaffed while many also lack basic hygiene, clean water and waste disposal facilities. “Health care facilities where suspected cases of the coronavirus will be sent, need to be adequately trained in implementing strict infection and control practices," said Dr Jyoti Joshi, the Head of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy. “Past experience shows that most hospitals in India and other LMICs may not be prepared for the surge capacity of patients with infectious diseases like coronavirus and suffer from limited coordination of hospital control personnel with other support services.” Despite concerns, the Indian Government has said it has an action plan in place to restrict any further spread of the virus. It is screening passengers arriving at more than 20 airports, especially those with a travel history in China. Land border screenings are also taking place on the border with Nepal which confirmed its first case of the coronavirus last Friday. Following the lead of the United States and Australia, the Indian government has announced it will also airlift the first batch of its citizens from Wuhan on Friday, after identifying 600 of its nationals living in Hubei province.