Twenty more test positive for new strain of Covid-19 in India, tally reaches 58

As many as Fifty-eight people have been found infected with the new strain of coronavirus, in India so far, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) informed on Tuesday.

Out of the lot, 20 new cases have been identified at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

According to a statement released by MoHFW’s, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) labs at NCBS InSTEM, Bengaluru, CDFD Hyderabad, ILS Bhubaneswar, and NCCS Pune have so far found no mutant virus.

The positive samples are being tested at 10 INSACOG labs across the country (NIBMG Kolkata, ILS Bhubaneswar, NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InSTEM Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, IGIB Delhi, NCDC Delhi) for genome sequencing.

All the persons found positive for this mutant version have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective State Governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts, and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on.

The Ministry informed that the situation is under “careful watch” and “regular advice is being provided to the States” for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing, and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs.

Meanwhile, the country’s active caseload for Covid-19 has been decreasing and now stands at 2,31,036 as of Tuesday.