Six cases of new coronavirus strain detected among UK returnees in India

33,000 passengers who arrived from the UK to India between November 25 to December 23 are being tracked and tested

Six passengers who returned from the United Kingdom have tested positive for new variant of Covid-19 strain, the union health ministry said today.

Last week, the ministry had ordered tracking and testing of over 33,000 persons who arrived from the UK between November 25 to December  23 as a part of its preventive strategy to contain the virus. About 114 returnees were found Covid-19 positve and their samples were sent to laboratories for genome sequencing.

"All these persons ( with new variant of Covid-19) 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," the ministry said.

"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," it added.