New Delhi: New strain of coronavirus detected in 14 more people in India who have returned from the United Kingdom (UK). Total cases of new strain of coronavirus in India are now 20.
On Wednesday genome sequencing labs reported that 14 additional passengers had reported the new Covid virus variant which has 70 percent more infective capacity than the old strain. The new variant is not causing severe disease though and most people infected with it are asymptomatic as in the previous strain which mostly caused mild disease in 80 percent of the infected.
The government of India has tested 107 passengers so far who have returned from the UK from November 25 to December 22 midnight.
Among the 20 that tested positive for the variant virus, eight were confirmed by National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi, seven by NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and one each by other labs among 10 in the genome consortium.
Of the 33,000 passengers who have returned from the UK recently 114 had Covid and of them 20 have now reported the new strain and are in isolation with contact tracing under way.
India has already suspended the flight service with the UK on temporary bases and Minister of Aviation Hardeep Puri said “The ban could be extended into the New Year.”
Meeting of the National Task Force on COVID is expected soon to take a call on future travel and surveillance strategies.
More than 10 countries have already reported a new strain of coronavirus in its nationals. A scientist from the UK says that New strain of coronavirus spreads very fast.
_Vinayak