A new strain of Covid-19 that emerged in the UK has managed to make its way in India as six people returned from the UK to India have tested positive with the new mutant. The positive samples of these returnees have to go through a gene-based spike test that will determine if the new strain of Covid-19 has reached India or not. The new variant of the virus is 70% more transmissible.
“A total of six samples of six UK returnee persons have been found to be positive with the new UK variant genome. 3 in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, 2 in CCMB, Hyderabad and 1 in NIV, Pune,” said union ministry of health and family welfare in a statement.
In the UK, the new variant of the virus is responsible for a sudden spike in cases. The new variant of Covid-19 has about 20 mutations in it although there is no evidence till now that suggests that vaccines wouldn’t work on the new variant of coronavirus.
All flights from and to the UK have been suspended till December 31. Governments have enforced strict rules for those who returned from the UK. They have been quarantined in a single room. Rapid contract tracing is being done and people who were in contract with the returnees have also been quarantined.