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Gandhinagar, Jan. 2 (IANS): The four passengers who returned from the UK on December 22 and had tested positive at the Ahmedabad airport, have been found to be infected with the new strain of coronavirus which is considered to be more deadly than the current strain.
Fifteen other passengers from the the same flight from UK had also tested positive and the Gujarat government is awaiting the results of tests from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune.
Just as the country is gearing up for mass vaccination for coronavirus as the 2021 begins, the results of the samples of the four UK returnees found positive for coronavirus arrived on Saturday, according to which they have been found infected with the new deadlier strain of the virus.
"The four patients found positive on their arrival at Ahmedabad airport have been infected with the new strain of corona and their treatment is being administered according to the Government of India (GOI) guidelines. We are also awaiting the results of the 15 other samples sent to the NIV and probably we will receive it in 5 to 6 days. We have also had discussion on this in the core committee meeting headed by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani," Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary of Health and family Welfare Department, Gujarat, said.
Of the 175 passengers arriving from UK to Ahmedabad on flight 1172 on December 22, 19 passengers had been found positive. Four of them had been admitted to the SVP hospital in Ahmedabad where they are still undergoing treatment and all those who had come in contact with them have also been home quarantined.
"Our health officials and teams are closely monitoring and tracing the contacts," added Ravi.
The health ministry had earlier in a statement said that "All the persons found positive for the new coronavirus strain have been kept in single-room isolation in designated Covid care hospitals and comprehensive contact tracing had been initiated for co-travellers, family members and others."
The state government is keeping a close watch and have enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and other procedures.