Andhra woman who escaped isolation tests positive for new UK strain of Coronavirus

An Anglo-Indian woman, who had returned from the United Kingdom to Delhi and later reached Andhra Pradesh by a special train after escaping from an isolation centre in Delhi, has tested positive for the new UK strain of Coronavirus, said Katamneni Bhasker, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Department of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. Speaking further, Bhasker said that there is no evidence of the spread of the new UK strain in the state. 

He said, "There is no spread of UK strain in Andhra Pradesh from her (Anglo-India COVID positive woman who belonged to Rajahmundry). Her son who travelled with her tested negative. The commissioner appealed to the public that there is no need to panic and don't believe in rumours as the situation is being continuously monitored by the government."

Andhra woman tests positive with new UK strain

According to the official data, Andhra Pradesh administration so far has traced 1,406 people out of 1,423 who came from the UK to the state. The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Department said that a total of 12 people were tested positive out of 1,406 people who underwent RTPCR test. It also mentioned that 6,364 primary contracts of 1,406 were tested and 12 were positive.

"In total 24 samples of these positive patients were sent to the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) and CCMB declared that UK strain was found in a sample of a woman belonging to Rajahmundry. Remaining 23 sample reports are yet to be received from CCMB," said the Health and Welfare Department. 

A resident of Ramakrishna Nagar in Rajahmundry, the woman had travelled to London a couple of months ago along with her husband and daughter aftre the travel restrictions ban was lifted. She returned to India to see her son on the night of December 21.

Soon after landing, the woman was subjected to testing for Covid-19 at the health centre at the New Delhi International Airport. The airport authorities handed her over to Safdarjung Hospital the following day for treatment. Since she was asymptomatic, she was asked to be in quarantine for seven days. After getting her out-patient card slip done, she quietly left the place without informing the authorities after which the authorities could not trace her whereabouts.

On December 23, East Godavari district authorities received a communication from Additional District Magistrate of Delhi (North-East) Shubhankar Ghosh, stating that the woman, along with her 22-year old son Riyan who came to receive her at the airport, might be travelling to her home town Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh Express train.

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Since then the state health authorities went on high alert and informed both the railway police and the local police authorities. As soon as the train arrived in Rajahmundry railway station during the early hours of December 24, the police located the woman and her son getting down from a first-class compartment. The authorities drove them straight to the Rajahmundry government hospital.

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6 positive with new UK variant of Coronavirus

Earlier on Tuesday, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its release said hat a total of 6 samples of UK returnees have been found to be positive for the new mutant UK COVID-19 strain that is believed to be more infectious. Out of these 6 positive Coronavirus cases, 3 samples were detected in NIMHANS Bengaluru, 2 in CCMB Hyderabad and 1 in NIV Pune. The Health Ministry further said that the government has taken cognizance of the reports of the new virus strain and has put in place a "pro-active and preventive" strategy to detect and contain the spread of the virus.

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(With ANI inputs)