TNI Bureau: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported nine new cases of COVID mutation, taking the number of cases to 82. The passengers with the new strain of COVID are isolated in a single-room at healthcare facilities. The government has initiated contract tracing and genome sequencing on other specimens are followed up for further details.
On January 1, the number of new strains was 71, which increased to 73 by January 6. Maharashtra has reported most cases of new COVID strains from Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Raigad, Buldhana, Osmanabad, Nanded and Washim.
All the cases are closely monitored and the samples have been dispatched to INSACOG laboratories, specially designed for monitoring mutation. Currently, there are 10 government laboratories designed to observe genome sequence- NIBMG, Kolkata; ILS, BBSR; NIV, Pune; NCCS, Pune; CCMB, Hyderabad; NCDC, Delhi; CDFD, Hyderabad; InSTEM, Bengaluru; NIMHANS, Bengaluru and IGIB, Delhi.
India has resumed flights from Britain on Friday. The government is keeping a track on all UK returnees. The passengers are following 14 days of mandatory quarantine. Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, has issued orders that the UK returnees tested positive for the new strain must be isolated at healthcare facilities. Similarly, other UK returnees must quarantine for seven days followed by home quarantine for another seven days.