Kerala: #CoronaVirus has been declared as a state disaster, on directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. https://t.co/04rOXTsAzd — ANI (@ANI) 1580742101000

After three people from the state tested positive for coronavirus, the Government of Kerala today declared the lethal disease caused by the novel coronavirus as a "state calamity".Currently, two other patients- both medical students at a university in Wuhan- are being treated in isolation wards at the Thrissur and Alappuzha Medical Colleges respectively. Both the students had travelled together to Kochi from Wuhan.The novel coronavirus infection that first broke out in Wuhan, China, has spread to 25 countries so far. At least 361 deaths and 17,205 cases of the virus have been reported from China.The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife. Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another animal species.The World Health Organization ( WHO ) was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan at the end of December. Chinese authorities confirmed they had identified a new virus a week later.The new coronavirus can be transmitted from person to person, although it is not clear how easily that happens. Most cases so far are in people who have been in Wuhan, family members of those infected, or medical workers.