CHENNAI: Unless the State has done genome sequencing study on samples of passengers who returned from the United Kingdom and tested positive for the virus in the last few months, it would not know if the new strain of Covid-19 has already entered into Tamil Nadu or not.
However, there is nothing to worry about the new strain, say experts.
Meanwhile, Dr K Kolandaswamy, former director of Public Health said the ICMR would be constantly performing genome sequencing of random samples, and if there had been any variant strain, it would have been detected by now.
If nothing has been detected, then the new variant which has spread out from the UK is not circulating in India, added.
The state is now in the process of tracking people who came from the UK in the last two weeks, for testing. “Usually the incubation period is two weeks. So, we are planning to test people who came from the UK in the last two weeks,” said T S Selvavinayagam, director of Public Health.
Noted virologist, T Jacob John said, “The new strain of the virus may have entered into the country. We cannot say it didn’t enter unless genome sequencing study was done among the passengers who returned from UK. But, there is nothing to worry about the new strain as it is the same virus and causes the same problems, though its immunogenicity is different.”
‘New strain not a super spreader’
John also said, ‘super spreader’ is not the right word to describe the new strain. “Super spreaders are those where one person infects too many people in a crowd. But the new strain is a more efficient spreader. That is, it is more efficient in spreading the infection than it’s parent virus. Anybody who got an infection in the past and is immune now has no risk from this new strain," he added.
Every virus will undergo a mutation as the environment changes, says Dr P Kuganantham, senior epidemiologist and a member of the State Special Task Force constituted to fight Covid-19.
“I don’t think the new strain will cause more morbidity or mortality because we have seen the worst parent virus. It has infected a lot of people and also caused several deaths.
Since many people in the State were affected and subsequently developed immunity, there is nothing to worry,” said Kuganantham.
He also said the scare that it is created among the people is not warranted. Kolandaswamy said, however, there is no need for a second lockdown.