UK Returnee Woman Who Escaped Quarantine Tests Positive For New Covid-19 Strain

India has imposed strict guidelines at all international transit points to ensure passengers returning from the UK are screened before setting foot in the country. This is happening after the UK announced that it had discovered a mutated, “more contagious” strain of coronavirus.

While everyone is being carefully screened, an Anglo-Indian woman with her son, who had arrived from the UK on December 21, ran away from the authorities. She travelled to Andhra Pradesh via train. The duo was soon traced from Rajamahendravaram and was admitted to a hospital.

The 47-year-old women on Tuesday tested positive for the new strain of the coronavirus. Following the report, the state health department stressed that there was no outbreak of the fresh variant of the virus in Andhra Pradesh.

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“Her son tested negative while another person who came in contact with her also did not contract any virus. There is no spread of UK strain in AP from her,” said Andhra Pradesh Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar.  The authorities also conducted tests on eight people who traveled with the Anglo-Indian woman in the 1st AC coach of AP Express. As per official reports, all of them have tested negative.

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The Commissioner also asserted that the situation is being constantly monitored and appealed that there is no need to panic and also asked people not to pay heed to rumors.

“As many as 1,406 persons were traced out of 1,423 persons who came from the UK to our state; 17 persons have not been traced till now, while 12 persons tested positive out of the 1,406 persons who underwent RT-PCR test. Furthermore, 6,364 primary contacts of 1,406 persons were tested and 12 tested positive. A total of 24 samples of these positive patients were sent to CCMB and they declared that the UK strain was found only in the sample of the woman hailing from Rajahmundry. The remaining 23 sample reports are yet to be received from CCMB,” the office of the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Department, Andhra Pradesh, said in a statement.