UK’s New Covid strain: International passengers tested positive in last 15 days to undergo genome sequencing

All international passengers who have landed in the country in the last fortnight will be subjected to genome sequencing if they are symptomatic of Coronavirus and test positive. The Union Health Ministry in its decision mentioned that all international passengers who have arrived in India between December 9 and December 22 will be subjected to genome sequencing if they turn out to be Covid-19 positive, news agency ANI reported. The development comes in the wake of a new lethal strain of Coronavirus which was first traced in the United Kingdom and has subsequently spread to many other countries of the world.

The Indian government had previously temporarily banned the international flights between India and the United Kingdom to insulate the country from the new strain of Coronavirus. Union Minister of Civil Aviation today announced that the ban on international flights between India and the United kingdom could be extended further in view of the prevailing situation. All international flights between India and the United Kingdom have been temporarily banned till December 31 in the country.

The new strain of Coronavirus named VUI 202012/01 is understood to be more viral than its other variants and has accounted for as many as 60 percent of the new Coronavirus cases traced in the capital city of London. Health experts have warned that the new strain could lead to a massive wave of Coronavirus infections in the world as it is capable of transmitting from one person to another at a faster rate. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also hinted that the new strain of Coronavirus could also pose hurdles in the existing RT-PCR testing capabilities.