TOPSHOT - People wearing facemasks as a preventative measure following a coronavirus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, line up to purchase face masks from a makeshift stall after queueing for hours following a registration process during which they were given a pre-sales ticket, in Hong Kong on February 5, 2020. - The new coronavirus which appeared late December has claimed nearly 500 lives, infected more than 24,000 people in mainland China and spread to more than 20 countries. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP) (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
India reported having 498 cases COVID-19 (including 40 foreign tourists) as of 23 March 2020 (ref. 1) and out of which 32 cases were recovered and 9 deaths occurred. The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide as of 23 March 2020, was 378,000 with 16,500 deaths2. Overall more than 1.5 million passengers were screened at airports in India, 17,237 people were clinically tested for COVID-19 as of 22 March 2020 (ref. 1).
