THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A UK returnee who tested positive for Covid-19 twice is keeping the district authorities on their toes as a new strain is being reported in many parts of the foreign country. Currently, district health authorities are eagerly waiting for the result from NIV (National Institute of Virology), Pune to rule out the possibility of the new mutant strain of coronavirus. Cases of infection with the new strain in the country were reported around two days ago and so far 25 such cases have been detected across the country. According to health authorities, the mutant strain 70 per cent more infectious than the existing ones.
A senior official of the Health Department said that the UK returnee landed a week ago. “She tested positive for the virus when she was in the UK, recovered and returned with a negative certificate.
In quarantine since she reached Kerala, she took the RT-PCR test recently only to test positive again. We had sent the sample to NIV Pune on Wednesday. We are expecting the result tomorrow. We are yet to have clarity if she contracted the disease from Kerala or the UK.
If she got the virus from here, we will be treating her as a regular Covid-19 patient,” said the official. According to officials, she has been in strict isolation since arrival.
With more cases of the mutant variant reporting in the country, the state will continue to be on high alert. “It’s impossible to trace everyone coming from other states now and we have ramped up testing.
We expected more cases after the local body elections. Herd immunity could be a reason in the fewer number of cases. But social distancing norms are not being followed,” the official said. The district authorities had wound up a large number of CFLTCs in the district following the decline in the number of cases. Currently, there are around six active CFLTCs in the district. “Cases will multiply if the new variant is detected in the state owing to its high infectivity rate. Then we will require more CFLTCs,” the official said.
According to authorities, the mutant strain is 70 per cent more infectious
Status of Covid-19 patients in Thiruvananthapuram (as of December 30)
Beds occupied by Covid positive patients 1,055
Beds occupied by Covid suspects
waiting for test results 90
Patients in home isolation 2,206
Total number of Covid patients in
Covid hospitals/CFLTC/ Home Isolation 3,261
Patients in ICU 138
Patients on ventilator 46
Patients with oxygen support 358