Nagpur: A 28-year-old man in Nagpur who tested positive
COVID-19 on December 15 suspected of carrying the new strain of COVID-19 found in the UK, Administration of Government Medical College,
Nagpur said on Thursday.
According to Dr. Avinash Gawande, Superintendent of the Government Medical College Nagpur, the patient who has been United Kingdom November 29th was tested at the airport on arrival but was found COVID-19 negative at that time.
“After seven days, he said he was showing symptoms and complained about the loss of smell. He was tested again for COVID-19 at the Nandanvan Public Health Clinic (PHC) and his rapid antigen test was done on December 15th,” said Dr. Gawande.
He added that his family members also tested positive for COVID-19.
“The family has a history of Gondia (in Maharashtra). The man was hospitalized on December 22nd. We collected two samples for testing. One sample was sent to Pune for RT-PCR testing and another for further investigation, “added the doctor.
However, the Nagpur community commissioner said it cannot be confirmed whether the patient is wearing the new strain or not until the final test reports are in.
“The 28-year-old male COVID positive patient with a history of travel to the UK was admitted to a separate department at Government Medical College Nagpur. His swab has now been sent to Pune for further examination. After receiving the report from Pune, It can be said whether this patient is a new or an old strain, “said Radhakrishnan B, Nagpur community commissioner.
In the meantime, India has temporarily suspended flight operations between India and the UK until December 31, 2020.
On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson informed the public that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus had been found in the UK.
“Given the early evidence we have of this new variant of the virus and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that we cannot continue Christmas as planned,” he tweeted.
Mutant Coronavirus Strain: Everything You Need to Know About the New Variant
The new coronavirus strain
Just as the world was about to greet the New Year, the news of a new strain of coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom (UK) created panic and concern around the world. Even with vaccine development and sales campaigns going on around the world, this new mutant variant of the virus has alarmed both experts and government agencies and has led to renewed restrictions in various countries. Reuters photos
Everything about the new variety
The new COVID variant of the SARS-COV-2 virus was named VUI-202012/01 and is said to be 70 percent more contagious than the existing one. In London and other parts of the UK, the infection has once again spread like wildfire, forcing authorities to declare a full lockdown with stricter norms and restrictions. Reuters photos
The first cases
The first confirmed cases of the new strain of the virus were identified in the UK in mid-December this year. Authorities announced that he was “out of control”. However, experts believe the virus has been present in the region itself since September, but it couldn’t be spotted as “there were no large-scale infections”. According to reports, around 60 percent of patients in the UK are now infected with the new variant. Photo: AFP
Countries that have reported cases of the new variant
Infections related to the new COVID-19 strain are currently heavily concentrated in the UK, leading several countries to temporarily suspend the arrival of citizens from the region. A number of cases have also been reported in South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia and Italy, while France recently suspected that the new variant could have made its way into the western European country. Photo: AFP
Is the new COVID-19 strain a concern?
Health experts in the UK and US said the strain appears to be easier to infect than others, but there is still no evidence that it is more deadly. The strain is also of concern because it has so many mutations – nearly two dozen – and some are on the spiky protein the virus uses to attach to cells and infect them. This tip is the target of the current vaccines. AP photo
What do experts say?
Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s principal scientific advisor, said the exposure “is moving fast and is becoming the dominant variety”. “I’m concerned about this, of course, but it’s too early to know how important it will ultimately be,” said Dr. Ravi Gupta, who studies viruses at Cambridge University in England, is serious, ”said Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London. Reuters photos
Are these vaccines effective?
Scientists say there is no evidence that vaccines currently in use in the UK – made by Pfizer and BioNtech – or other COVID-19 vaccines under development do not protect against this variant. “It is unlikely that this will have more than little or no impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine,” said Adam Finn, vaccine specialist and professor of pediatrics at Bristol University. There is currently no evidence that the new strain would evade treatments and vaccines, according to Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based charity Wellcome Trust UK. Reuters photos
New COVID-19 strain not detected in India: ICMR
The mutated strain of the coronavirus was not seen in the samples tested from different parts of India, shared Dr. Samiran Panda, Director of the ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), with. In an interview with ANI, Dr. Panda: “We tested samples from different parts of the country and didn’t see the mutant strain found in the UK. We shouldn’t believe this will definitely come to India.”
