Genome Sequencing For All Covid-19 Positive Flyers Who Arrived In India From Dec. 9-22
Others will be followed up by the state and district surveillance officers, and will be tested as per ICMR guidelines.
All international passengers who arrived in India from Dec.9-22 and tested positive for Covid-19 will be subjected to genome sequencing as part of the Centre's strategy to detect the mutated coronavirus strain that has emerged in the U.K. recently.
Others will be followed up by the state and district surveillance officers, and will be tested as per guidelines, even if asymptomatic, between fifth and tenth day of arrival, according to the Union Health Ministry's guidance document on genomic sequencing.
"All the international passengers who have arrived in India during the last 14 days (from Dec. 9 to 22), if symptomatic and tested positive, will be subjected to genome sequencing," the document stated.
The presence of the new U.K. variant of the coronavirus has already been reported by Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore so far.
The health ministry has established the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium for laboratory and epidemiological surveillance and to expand the whole genome sequencing of the coronavirus in the country, aiding in the understanding of how the virus spreads and evolves.
India has put in place a pro-active and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant of the virus. It includes temporary suspension of all flights coming from the U.K. with effect from the midnight of Dec. 23 till Dec. 31 and mandatory testing of all U.K. returnee air passengers through RT-PCR test.
Ten regional laboratories have been identified by the Centre where states will send five per cent of their Covid-19 positive samples for genome sequencing to detect the new coronavirus variant.
Standard Operating Procedure for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response in the context of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 has already been issued by the Health Ministry.
The purpose of this initiative is to ensure proper screening of international travellers arriving in India for early detection of new SAR-CoV-2 variant cases. Further, epidemiological surveillance of the passengers, who have arrived in India since Nov. 23, will be conducted in the community through active follow up.
Six people who returned to India from the United Kingdom have tested positive for the new mutated strain of coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
It said the U.K. variant genome of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in three samples in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Hospital Bengaluru, two in the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad and one in the National Institute of Virology Pune.
All these people have been kept in single room isolation at designated health care facilities by respective state governments and their close contacts have also been put under quarantine, the ministry said.