Also Read
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
According to the Central government, a total of 73 persons have been detected with the new UK coronavirus mutant strain.
As if coronavirus lurking over our heads was not enough, looks like the UK mutant strain is here to stay. According to the Central government, a total of 73 persons have been detected with the new UK coronavirus mutant strain. The new COVID strain is believed to be up to 70 per cent transmissible compared to other mutations found so far.
According to the report, people detected with the UK coronavirus mutant strain are being kept in physical isolation in health facilities. Eight out of these total cases have been detected by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi, 20 at the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in Delhi, and 11 at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangaluru.
Three such cases have been detected at the Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, one at the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in West Bengal and 30 in the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
Also Read
Also Read
Also Read
According to the Health Ministry, all these persons 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.
On December 29, six UK returnees were found to be positive with the new variant genome. These were the first cases to be reported by the country that has the second-highest number of cases after the US.
The novel coronavirus has undergone many mutations since its first started infecting humans in December 2019. Nick Loman, Professor of Microbial Genomics and Bio information at the University of Birmingham, told a briefing by the Science Media Centre on December 15 that the new variant was first spotted in late September.
The variant, first identified in southeast England, has spread to many countries. Although it is said to be more infectious, it did not indicate any changes in the severity of the disease.
The UK variant has been named VUI- 202012/01 and is defined by a set of 17 changes or mutations. One of the most significant is an N501Y mutation in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor. Changes in this part of spike protein may, in theory, result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people, according to a report published in the British Medical Journal.
The Union Health Ministry further stated that the situation is under careful watch, and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to labs.
So far, the UK variant has already affected Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.