6 UK Returnees Found With New COVID Variant, Kept in Isolation

“All these persons have been kept in single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities,” the govt said.

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Six people, who had returned from the United Kingdom to India, have been found to be positive with the new UK coronavirus variant genome, the government said on Tuesday, 29 December.

What the Govt Said

"All these persons have been kept in single-room isolations in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on," the government said in a release.

The samples of three of the UK returnees were tested and found positive for the new strain at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and one at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, the Health Ministry said

"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 (a consortium of 10 government labs)," it further said.

Concerns Over the New Virus Variant

The new COVID variant found in the UK had sparked worries across the world, since it was said to be much more infectious.

Amid concerns over the variant, India had suspended all flights to and from the UK from 23 December. The suspension will be in force till 31 December.

As many as 33,000 passengers, who came in from the UK between 25 November and 23 December, are being made to undergo RT-PCR tests. Till now, 114 have tested positive, according to the government.