Indian Scientists Reveal First Microscopic Image of COVID-19 Virus

Scientists took the throat swab sample from first laboratory-confirmed COVID19 case in India, reported on Jan 30 in Kerala.

Updated: March 27, 2020 10:32 PM IST

By India.com News Desk | Edited by Surabhi Shaurya

Indian Scientists Reveal First Microscopic Image of COVID-19 Virus

New Delhi: In a first, Indian scientists have revealed a microscopy image of SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease, which claimed over 21,000 lives globally.  As per the reports of ANI, scientists took the throat swab sample from first laboratory-confirmed COVID19 case in India, reported on Jan 30 in Kerala. The findings were published in the latest edition of Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR).

If reports are to be believed, scientists have confirmed that the viral strain has similarities with the Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and the Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV)- the two species of the coronavirus which had an outbreak in the world.

A few days back, a group of scientists had warned that the country may see up to 13 lakh cases by mid-May if the numbers keep growing like this.  “When there is no approved vaccine or drug for treating COVID-19, entering phase 2 or phase 3 of escalation will have devastating consequences on the already overstretched healthcare system of India,” the scientists said.

Earlier in the day, the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 17 in the country  and the number of positive coronavirus cases climbed to 724.

On Tuesday, while announcing a total lockdown for 1.3 billion people in India for 21 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned that if we don’t follow a complete lockdown for the coming 21 days, the nation will go back 21 years and many families will be devastated.

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