India has reported its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Kerala yesterday. The patient is a student studying in Wuhan University, China. In a statement, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India said the student is from Kerala. "The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," the statement said.

The 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic that has concerned health experts worldover started in China's Wuhan city early December last year and has so far claimed more than 170 lives. Meanwhile, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja has called a meeting with health secretary and other officials from the Directorate of Health Services to take stock of the situation. The minister is expected to address a press conference at 3pm and provide updates on the situation.

In Kerala, one person each from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Malappuram and three from Ernakulam district have been kept in isolation wards of various helath centres, news agency PTI reported. A senior Indian government official said bringing Indian nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus, was not the best option due to the risk of infection but increased pressure from the citizens, most of them students, and their parents had forced them to keep an aircraft on standby. This week, India readied a state-carrier airplane to travel to Wuhan but was waiting for a nod from Chinese authorities who were trying to sequence the whole evacuation process.