Centre indicates Kerala could have COVID cases caused by new coronavirus strain

The Centre has directed that samples of such cases be sent to labs for genetic sequencing to understand the structure and nature of the virus that caused the infection.
The Centre has directed that samples of such cases be sent to labs for genetic sequencing to understand the structure and nature of the virus that caused the infection.
The Centre has directed that samples of such cases be sent to labs for genetic sequencing to understand the structure and nature of the virus that caused the infection.
New Delhi: The Union health ministry has indicated that Kerala could also have COVID cases caused by the new strain of the coronavirus among people who returned from the UK in the last four weeks.
The Centre has directed that samples of such cases be sent to labs for genetic sequencing to understand the structure and nature of the virus that caused the infection.
The Union health secretary had called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to assess the situation in 10 states, including Kerala, where flights from the UK arrive. These are also the states that have been reporting a significant increase in the number of COVID patients despite the general declining trend in India.
The Centre had directed the states to coordinate with the Immigration Bureau and the Airport Authority to collect information of all those people who had come from the UK in the recent past.
Meanwhile, the health ministry has denied reports that 15 people in India have been infected with the new strain of the coronavirus.
Ugur Sahin, the CEO of BioNTech, one of the companies that made the Pfizer vaccine for COVID, has said that if a new vaccine is needed for the mutated virus, it can be developed within six months depending on the genetic variation of the virus. He also said that the current vaccine will be enough to fight the new virus too.