Four UK returnees to Ahmedabad test positive for new Covid strain

AHMEDABAD: Top health department officials in Gujarat confirmed on Saturday that the four passengers who had returned to the Ahmedabad airport from the UK were found to have the new strain of Covid-19.
The strain, named VUI-202012/01 (variant under investigation in December 2020), is defined as a set of 17 changes or mutations. The research so far reveals it to be more infectious compared to earlier variants.
While Jayanti Ravi, principal secretary (health & family welfare), was not available for comment, top health department officials confirmed to TOI that the four passengers, who had tested positive for Covid-19 upon return to the Ahmedabad airport on December 22, were found to have the new strain in the virology mix.
All the passengers underwent the test at the airport itself and those who showed any symptoms were isolated. According to the Union health ministry, India had, till January 1, reported 29 confirmed cases of the new strain. Behaviour of the strain in Indian context is still unknown.
“A total of 1,720 passengers, who had returned form the UK and other European countries between November 25 to December 23 underwent RT-PCR test. Out of total, 12 had tested positive. All these samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) in Gandhinagar,” said a senior official, adding that the result for the rest of the samples is awaited.
The sources indicated that the four positive persons have not left the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run SVP Hospital premises. A separate ward was created for the patients to ensure minimal spread of the virus. “While the course of treatment doesn’t differ in any way, the only thing to observe is to ensure that the viral load decreases before the patients are allowed to go home so that there are no chances of new infection,” said a senior official.
The state government had earlier issued a directive that all the passengers who had returned from the European nations from November 25 to December 8 would have to live in self-monitoring whereas those who had returned between December 9 to 23 would have to live in isolation.
Unconfirmed reports also pointed at the possibility of the new strain in other parts of the state, but the health department officials said that they can comment on it only after lab reports.