MUMBAI: Five
frills who landed in Mumbai from the UK on December 21 and 22 and were placed in ‘hotel quarantine’, tested positive for Covid-19.
Your swab samples will be sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for genetic sequencing to check the high contagious mutation called B.1.1.7. The mutated virus has been in circulation in the UK since September and has become the dominant strain accounting for 70% of cases since then.
More passenger test reports are expected, BMC officials said Sunday night.
While 180 of the passengers who returned to the UK were screened early on Saturday, BMC’s additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani It said 738 passengers who have completed five days in hotel quarantine have been screened so far.
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Based on the statement of Shehzad Khan’s brother, the police registered a case in the relevant sections of the IPC and arrested the six accused.
These passengers have been kept in hotel quarantine following a central government directive issued on December 20 to check for the mutated virus among travelers arriving from the UK, South Africa and the Middle East (flights from the UK are prohibited until December 31 from December). According to the government directive, these flyers could undergo an RT-PCR test after completing the five-day quarantine.
“Aside from these five flyers, the others that tested negative will complete seven days of institutional (hotel) quarantine before going home with a stamp for seven more days of home quarantine,” said Dr. Mangala Gomare, executive director of health for BMC.
The five Covid-positive passengers are asymptomatic but will be admitted to BMC’s SevenHills Hospital in Marol for observation, civic officials said.
Mutant coronavirus strain: everything you need to know about the new variant
The new strain of coronavirus
Just as the world was ready to welcome the New Year, information about the identification of a new strain of coronavirus in the United Kingdom (UK) has created an air of panic and concern around the world. Despite vaccine development and distribution campaigns around the world, this new mutant variant of the virus has alarmed experts and government authorities, leading to the imposition of new restrictions in several countries. Reuters photos
All about the new strain
The new COVID variant of the SARS-COV-2 virus has been called VUI – 202012/01 and is said to be 70% more contagious than the existing one. In London and other parts of the UK, the infection has spread like wildfire once again, forcing authorities to declare a complete lockdown with stricter rules and restrictions. Reuters photos
The initial cases
The first confirmed cases of the new strain of the virus were identified in mid-December this year in the UK, after which authorities announced it was “out of control”. However, experts believe that the virus had been present in the region since September, but could not be detected because “there were no large-scale infections.” Around 60 per cent of patients in the UK have reportedly been infected with the new variant. Photo: AFP
Countries that have reported cases of the new variant
Infections related to the new COVID-19 strain are currently highly concentrated in the UK, causing several countries to temporarily suspend the arrival of citizens from the region. Several cases have also been reported in South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, and Italy, while France recently suspected that the new variant could have entered the Western European country as well. Photo: AFP
Is the new COVID-19 strain of concern?
Health experts in the UK and US said the strain appears to infect more easily than others, but there is no evidence yet that it is more deadly. The strain is also concerning because it has many mutations – nearly two dozen – and some are in the spikey protein that the virus uses to attach itself to and infect cells. That increase is the goal of current vaccines. AP Photo
What do the experts say?
Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, said the strain “is moving fast and is becoming the dominant strain.” “I’m worried about this, sure,” but it’s too early to know how important it will ultimately turn out to be, said Dr Ravi Gupta, who studies viruses at the University of Cambridge in England. “It’s okay to get serious,” said Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London. Reuters photos
Are current vaccines effective?
Scientists say there is no evidence that vaccines currently being rolled out in the UK, made by Pfizer and BioNtech, or other COVID-19 injections in development do not protect against this variant. “This is unlikely to have more than a minor effect, if any, on the effectiveness of the vaccine,” said Adam Finn, a vaccine specialist and professor of pediatrics at the University of Bristol. According to Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based research charity Wellcome Trust UK, there is currently no indication that the new strain bypasses treatments and vaccines. Reuters photos
New COVID-19 strain not detected in India: ICMR
The mutant strain of coronavirus has not been seen in samples tested from various parts of India, reported Dr. Samiran Panda, director of the ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI). Speaking to ANI, Dr Panda said: “We have analyzed samples collected from various parts of the country and we have not seen the mutant strain found in the UK. We should not think that this will definitely come to India.”
Earlier in the day, the BMC revised quarantine guidelines for passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa and the Middle East. “The amendment is in accordance with the Maharashtra government directive of 14 days mandatory quarantine for all travelers,” said a BMC official.
The new directive states that passengers who test negative after five days will be able to return home after completing seven days of quarantine, but must commit to completing the remaining seven days of quarantine at home. “If the result is positive, the passengers will be transferred to designated Covid-19 hospitals: SevenHills for UK passengers and GT Hospital for travelers from other countries,” the directive said.
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