India reports first 6 cases of mutant coronavirus strain as UK returnees test positive

Photo used for representational purpose

India recorded first six cases of mutant strain of coronavirus as UK returnees tested positive, the central government said on Tuesday. The mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2, first detected in the United Kingdom, is said to be 70 per cent more infectious.

The Union Health Ministry said that the samples of three UK returnees have been tested and found positive for new UK strain in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and one in National Institute of Virology, Pune.

"All six people have been kept in single room isolation," the Health Ministry said.

Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on. 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 the INSACOG labs, the ministry added.

The ministry further said that between November 25 and December 23, about 33,000 passengers disembarked at various Indian airports from the UK.

"All these passengers are being tracked and subjected by states/UTs to RT-PCR tests. So far only 114 have been found positive for COVID-19," the health ministry added.

The British government had recently announced that the newly identified strain of the virus found in their population is up to 70 per cent more transmissible.

It is important to note that the presence of the new UK Variant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

Few days back, the Indian government had taken cognizance of the reports of mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus reported from the UK and put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant. It included temporary suspension of all flights coming from the UK with effect from the midnight of December 23 till 31.

Testing of all UK returnee air passengers through RT-PCR test was made mandatory. The samples of all UK returnees found positive in RT-PCR test to be genome sequenced by a consortium of ten government labs.

The strategy also included a meeting of the National Task Force (NTF) on Covid-19 on December 26 to consider and recommend Testing, Treatment, Surveillance and Containment Strategy. Standard Operating Protocol for states and UTs to tackle the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 were also issued on December 22.

Over the last few weeks, the UK has faced a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in South East England, leading to enhanced epidemiological and virological investigations. Analysis of viral genome sequence data identified that a large proportion of cases belonged to a new single phylogenetic cluster.

The new variant is defined by multiple spike protein mutations as well as mutations in the other genomic regions. Preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this variant is significantly more transmissible than previously circulating variants, with an estimated potential to increase the reproductive number (R) by 0.4 or greater with an estimated increased transmissibility of up to 70 per cent.