India has detected both the South African and Brazilian coronavirus variants and people returning from those countries may be tested more aggressively, health officials said on Tuesday.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found a total of 192 Covid-19 cases of the new variants of mutated SARS-CoV-2 in the last two months, including four from the variant emerging in South Africa and one from the Brazilian variant, said the officials, adding that the strains can infect a person’s lungs more easily than the UK mutation.
ICMR Director General, Prof Balram Bhargava, however, noted that no mortality has been reported so far in cases of the UK variant as well as those infected by the variants from South Africa and Brazil. The ICMR chief also informed that India currently has 187 patients who have been infected with the UK variant.
The Indian government is now considering mandating RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests for all people coming from Brazil and South Africa, as is being done for those flying in from the United Kingdom.
“There are no direct flights from South Africa or Brazil, so the health ministry and the civil aviation ministry are in touch on the steps to be taken on the matter,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told at a news conference.
Dr Bhargava informed that the SA variant, better known as B.1.351, has already spread to 44 countries. The four people who tested positive for the variant in India had come from Angola (1), Tanzania (1) and South Africa (2). Meanwhile, the Brazilian variant or P.1 lineage has been reported from 15 countries. India registered its first case in February 2021, Dr Bhargava said.
“ICMR-NIV is attempting to isolate and culture the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2, while the Brazilian variant of SAS-CoV-2 has been isolated and cultured at ICMR-NIV-Pune,” said Dr Bhargava.
“All confirmed cases are quarantined and treated. Their contacts have been isolated and tested. Neutralisation potential with the UK variant of the virus is there with the vaccine that we have,” Dr Balram Bhargava said.
The ICMR chief added that experiments are underway to assess the vaccines’ efficacy against the South African and Brazilian variants as they are different from the UK variant.
Meanwhile, over 87 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in India so far, the Union Health Ministry has informed.
India’s COVID-19 cases rose by 9,121 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 10.93 million, second only to the tally of the United States. Deaths rose by 81 to 155,813. Active cases in India stand at 1,37,866, while a total of 10,633,025 people have recuperated from Covid-19 so far.
The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Maharashtra’s daily count remained above 3,000 for the seventh straight day, as it registered 3,663 new cases, 461 of them in Mumbai, after reporting 4,092 infections on Sunday, the highest single-day tally in more than a month. The state government has termed the situation “alarming” and warned of “harsh decisions”. A meeting has been convened by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai to take stock of the situation.
Kerala reported 4,937 new Covid-19 cases, 5,439 recoveries and 18 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of active cases in the state is 60,761.
Karnataka logged 438 fresh Covid-19 and six fatalities, taking the total caseload to just above 9.46 lakh and the toll to 12,273. As many as 344 people were discharged after being cured of the virus, as cumulative recoveries rose to 9.27 lakh, leaving 5,860 active cases.
Andhra Pradesh reported 60 fresh cases of Covid-19, 140 recoveries and no deaths in 24 hours. The active caseload in the state reduced by 80 to stand at 615. After 1.35 crore sample tests, the total positive cases increased to 8,88,959. Total recoveries went up to 8,81,181 while the overall toll remained at 7,163.
Tamil Nadu registered an addition of 451 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 8,46,026. After 470 patients were discharged, the number of active Covid cases stood at 4,206. There were seven deaths registered and 50,800 samples tested.
Delhi recorded 94 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest in over nine months, while the positivity rate slipped to 0.17 percent in the city. One fatality was also registered, taking the death toll due to the viral disease to 10,894 in the national capital.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS