38 people test positive for new COVID-19 strain in India
The Union ministry of health and family welfares, on 4 December, said that 38 people have tested positive for the new UK variant of COVID-19.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 4 Jan 2021 3:15 PM GMT
Hyderabad: The Union ministry of health and family welfares, on 4 December, said that 38 people have tested positive for the new UK variant of COVID-19.
The ministry said that 10 cases of the new variant were detected at NIMHANS in Bengaluru, three in Hyderabad's CCMB, five in NIV Pune, 11 in IGIB Delhi, eight in NCDC New Delhi, and one in NCBG Kolkata.
NCBS, InSTEM, Bengaluru, CDFD Hyderabad, ILS Bhubaneswar, and NCCS Pune have so far found no UK mutant virus.
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the new COVID-19 strain, B.1.1.7, is believed to be 71 per cent more transmissible than the other variants. First reported in the UK in September 2020, this variant makes up for 60 per cent of all coronavirus infections there.
Many countries, including India, have temporarily halted flights from the UK.
On 29 December, samples of seven UK returnees had tested positive for the new mutant virus. Of these, three samples were detected in NIMHANS Bengaluru, three in CCMB Hyderabad, and one in NIV Pune. The CCMB had said that two cases from Telangana and one from Andhra Pradesh tested found positive for the new strain.
The positive samples are being tested at 10 INSACOG labs - NIBMG Kolkata, ILS Bhubaneswar, NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InSTEM Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, IGIB Delhi, NCDC Delhi - for genome sequencing.
The Central government said that all these persons are being isolated in single rooms in designated health care facilities of the respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family members, and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is ongoing.
The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs, the ministry said.
