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3-year-old boy tests positive for COVID-19 in Kerala, total cases in India now 40

Ernakulam (Kerala) [India] - The condition of the child who is under observation and is undergoing treatment at the hospital is stable.

A three-year-old who returned from Italy was tested positive for Covid-19 in Kerala, India, said media reports. It is said that the family flew from Italy to Kochi via Dubai on an Emirates flight on Saturday, March 7.
The child, and parents, arrived in Kochi early on Saturday, March 7, morning and after being screened for fever at the universal screening facility at the Cochin International Airport, the toddler was immediately moved into isolation at the Ernakulam Medical College Hospital. This is the sixth positive case in the state.
The child's parents test results are yet to come in. Individuals that the family interacted with them have been identified, and have been asked to come in for testing as soon as possible. At present, a total of 12 people associated with the case are under observation. This case also marks the first child who has been tested positive in India.
In a statement to Khaleej Times, Emirates said it cannot divulge more information due to a customer confidentiality agreement. The statement said, "If there is a suspected or confirmed case of Covid-19 on our flights, we will fully cooperate with the local authorities and medical teams on their requirements."
The statement added, "We have implemented enhanced cleaning and complete disinfection of all cabins on all our aircraft departing from Dubai. If any of our flights transport a suspected or confirmed case, we implement deep cleaning and disinfection of the aircraft in a process that takes between six to eight hours to complete."
"Our crew are trained to handle various medical incidents onboard, and since the Covid-19 outbreak began, we have been providing our crew community with regular updates on staying safe while on duty and the actions to take if they feel unwell. Our crew members, who operate flights with confirmed cases on-board, undergo health screening," it added.
A medical professional source close to the case in Kerala told Khaleej Times, "Individuals who came into contact with the confirmed case have been asked to isolate themselves at home as a precautionary measure. People who have had direct contact and have showed slight temperature and other flu-like symptoms have been admitted to the hospitals."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com