Amid The Scare Of Highly Infectious Mutant Strain, 5 Coming From UK Test Positive For COVID-19

India, like several countries around the world, is facing the threat of a highly-infectious new strain of the Coronavirus, which was first reported in the UK.

Though no cases of the new strain of the virus have been reported in India so far, five people who arrived in the country from Britain have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but it was not clear if they had a highly infectious new strain of the virus.

BCCL

A total of 250 passengers who arrived in Delhi last night and have undergone the mandatory RT-PCR test at the airport. While 5 tested positive, the rest have tested negative for COVID-19.

These passengers have been sent to Sardar Patel Covid Centre in Chattarpur.

This comes even as India has suspended flights from the UK to the country after the emergence of a new and highly infectious strain of the coronavirus in Britain.

The suspension of flights from the UK will come into effect from December 22 midnight and will continue till December 31, the government added.

AFP

Further, the ministry also added that as a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from the UK in all transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights which are reaching India before 22nd Dec at 23.59 hrs) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned.

7-day isolation advisable

Also, seven-day isolation is advisable for passengers from the UK who test in RT-PCR and they will be medically monitored by the states/UTs.

Till now, the rules stated that if an international passenger had a COVID-19-negative certificate from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey, he or she need not undergo the Covid-19 test again on arrival at the Indian airport.

AFP

Though not much is known about the new strain of the virus called VUI-202012/01, it is said to be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the old variant.

According to the World Health Organisation, the new variant of Covid-19 originated in southeast England and was first reported in early this month.

Though the new strain is more contagious, the data so far has not suggested that is deadlier than the previous one.

BioSpectrum Asia

While the virus mutating is a challenge for the health authorities, there is still hope as the chief of European Union's medicines regulator said it appeared the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine would protect against a new strain of the coronavirus.

"At this moment there is no evidence to suggest this vaccine will not work against the new variant," European Medicines Agency (EMA) chief Emer Cooke said.