The Andhra Pradesh woman is the only one in the state with the UK strain of coronavirus, authorities say. (Archive)
New Delhi:
A woman who slipped to state authorities after testing positive for Covid at the Delhi airport was found to be infected with the super-infectious UK strain.
The 47-year-old, who returned from the UK on December 21, had arrived in Andhra Pradesh by train before she could be traced on December 24, creating what turned out to be a contact tracing nightmare.
For now, according to state authorities, the woman is the only one in the state with the “70 percent more transmissible” coronavirus mutation that was first detected in the UK. Eleven other fliers from the country also tested positive for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh, they said.
“Her son tested negative, while another person who came into contact with her also did not contract the (new) coronavirus,” said the state Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar.
He stated that there is no evidence that the new UK strain of coronavirus has spread in the state. “We are constantly monitoring the situation and there is no need to panic,” the commissioner said.
Reports of the woman’s escape amid a high alert in light of the virulent strain had stoked fears of its massive spread.
So far, according to the Health Ministry, the total number of Indians with the UK variant of the coronavirus has touched six: three in Bengaluru, two in Hyderabad and one in Pune.
Around 33,000 passengers arrived from the UK between November 25 and December 23. Of them, 114 tested positive for Covid and the genome sequencing of their samples is activated.
The states where these passengers arrived are tracking them and their contacts for Covid RT-PCR testing.
The UK strain emerges at a time when the spread of the infection, after reaching a peak in September, has slowed. During the last 24 hours, the country registered 16,432 cases, the lowest since June 24. The overall coronavirus figure is now 1.02,24,303, the highest after the United States, with 1.47 lakh deaths.
The center has said that states may impose restrictions to contain the spread of the new variant and mandatory targeted sequencing of the genome of all international passengers who presented symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus within 14 days from Dec. 9.
All flights from the UK were suspended on December 21.
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