THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state on Wednesday continued to wait for the test results of the samples collected from UK returnees for the new strain of the novel coronavirus, even as 14 more cases of the variant were detected in the country. The state has sent 29 samples of UK returnees who tested positive for Covid-19 to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for genome sequencing.
“The results would take some more time,” said Health secretary Rajan N Khobragade. He said he was in regular touch with the director of NIV, Pune, for the results. Meanwhile, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) Labs, a consortium of 10 laboratories including the NIV, identified the mutant Coivd-19 variant in 14 people on Wednesday.
So far, 20 people have been identified with the new variant (B117 strain) from 107 samples sent. The Civil Aviation Ministry has extended the temporary travel ban introduced on December 23 on flights between UK and India from December 31 to January 7. The state government has also upped surveillance at its four airports for screening and quarantining passengers arriving from Europe.