देश
New strain of COVID-19 from UK: Number of positive cases rises to 38 in India, says Health Ministry
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MohFW) on Monday (January 4, 2021) said that a total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new COVID-19 UK variant genome across India.
According to MoHFW, there are 10 cases in Bengaluru’s NIMHANS, 3 in CCMB (Hyderabad), 5 in NIV (Pune), 11 in IGIB (Delhi), 8 in NCDC (New Delhi) and 1 in NCBG (Kolkata).
The MoHFW said that the NCBS, InSTEM, Bengaluru, CDFD Hyderabad, ILS Bhubaneswar, and NCCS Pune have so far found no UK mutant virus.
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.
“All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care 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,” said the Union Health Ministry.
They added that the situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the States for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing & dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs.
