NEW DELHI: India has recorded 14 fresh cases of new coronavirus mutant strain -first reported in the United Kingdom in September – taking the total number of such cases to 20, the government said this morning. The new strain – believed to be significantly more transmissible – has been spreading fast across the world amid global fears and fresh travel restrictions after the UK said earlier this month the virus was “out of control”.
On Tuesday, the government said six patients were infected with the mutant virus; these were the first cases to be reported by the country with the second-highest number of cases after the United States at 1.02 crore. Of the 20 cases of fresh strain, eight have been registered by a Delhi lab; a Bengaluru lab has recorded seven cases. The numbers are likely to surge. But doctors have said there is no reason yet to believe that it is more lethal or will not be controlled by a vaccine.
Last week, India had temporarily banned flights from the UK. 33,000 passengers, who’ve arrived from the UK between November 25 and December 23, are being traced, the government has said, stressing the situation is “under careful watch”.
Genome sequencing will also be conducted on all international passengers who were symptomatic and tested positive for coronavirus in the 14 days from December 9 to 22. “It is easy to suppress the virus in the starting. Once the transmission is too widespread, it is hard to control,” Dr VK Paul, a member of Niti Aayog, said at the health ministry briefing on Tuesday. (Agency)
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