Chennai: One person who returned to Tamil Nadu from the UK has tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus. This information was given by a top Tamil Nadu health department official Tuesday. It takes the total number of patients in India with the new coronavirus strain to seven. Three of these UK returnee patients are currently undergoing treatment in NIMHANS, Bangalore, two in the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and one in National Institute of Virology, Pune
The Tamil Nadu patient has been isolated in a separate room in the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research here. His co-passengers and other contacts have been tested and found negative for COVID-19, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said.
“The Centre has confirmed one person from the state has been affected by the UK strain,” Radhakrishnan told reporters here. “The person is being treated in a separate room in a separate wing on the directions of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, he added.
As far as treatment and existing testing protocol, Radhakrishnan said the Union Health Ministry has informed there was no requirement for any modification. “All those people including senior doctors, nurses are in separate wing. We have set up 120 specialised beds…,” he informed.
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The Health Ministry has said that the new coronavirus strain is believed to be 70 per cent more infectious. However, doctors have said there is no reason yet to believe that it is more lethal or will not be controlled by a vaccine.
All patients have been kept in ‘single room isolation’ in designated healthcare facilities by the respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been started for co-travellers, their families and others, the Centre informed.
It should be stated here that approximately 33,000 passengers have arrived in India from the UK between November 25 and December 23. Of them, 114 have tested positive for COVID-19.
