6 UK returnees tested positive for new COVID-19 strain in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K K Shailaja, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala, said that six passengers who returned from the United Kingdom (UK), including a two-year old, have tested positive for the new strain of the novel coronavirus. She added that authorities have kept them under surveillance and the samples have already been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

Shailaja said that two people each from Alappuzha and Kozhikode tested positive for the new variant while one case each was reported from Kottayam and Kannur. In total, 39 people returning from the UK have tested positive for COVID-19 till now and all the samples have been sent to NIV, Pune. She added that the six patients are among the 39 people who have tested positive and all are kept in isolation and are under observation.

Shailaja said that people should remain cautious as the infection rate of the new strain is higher as compared to that of the traditional strain. She added that elderly people must remain careful and should practice reverse quarantine. Reverse quarantine is when probable infected people are separated from the general public who are at risk of disease during the outbreak. It is done to reduce the associated mortality and morbidity.