BENGALURU: Of the two South African travellers to Karnataka who tested COVID-19 positive, one of the samples was found to be different from the Delta variant, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar.
"We have sent the sample to a central government laboratory and are waiting for the final information. We are taking every possible step to contain the spread of the new mutant strain. However, it is said to be spreading rapidly and I am afraid we cannot stop it as India sees an influx of millions of people everyday, being a large country. What we can do, however, is contain it," said Sudhakar.
He said the state has to go back to the strategy of 5Ts - Trace, Track, Test, Treat and Technology. "This cannot be called the third wave yet. For the past nine months, the predominant strain has been Delta and now a new mutation has overtaken it. We have to be vigilant at the airports, which are the point of entry. We are conducting surveillance at all our airports," he informed.
If any passenger coming from the 10 to 12 countries that are vulnerable tests positive, they will be shifted to a hospital. In addition to this, the government is tracking those who travelled from South Africa to Karnataka in the last 15 days, to test their primary and secondary contacts.
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