At least eight persons, who returned to Kerala from the United Kingdom in the last one week, have tested positive for Covid-19 and their samples have been sent for further testing to the National Institute for Virology in Pune to see if they were infected with the more contagious strain of virus found in the UK, said State health minister KK Shailaja.
The minister said vigil in all the four airports in the state has been stepped up in view of the mutant alert in some European countries. “We have noticed some variation in virus here also. But it is too early to say if this was similar to the UK strain that showed increased transmissibility. Experts are conducting a detailed study on this,” she said. She said there was no need to panic but people should maintain a strict vigil.
Last week, the UK health department had said that its genomic analysis and epidemiological evidence showed that a new variant of SARS-Cov 2, detected in certain parts of the country, was 70% more transmissible than the existing variant. However, a study by the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine puts the figure at 56%.
After the revelation, many countries have put travel restrictions on the country.
The minister, however, denied reports that there was a fresh surge in infections and the death rate in the state. “These reports are not true. Due to the local body elections, there was a slight increase in cases and we expected it. The state’s death rate is still below 0.5 per cent,” she said.
Kerala was the first State to report a coronavirus case in the country. Despite a spurt in cases in the last couple of months, its death rate has remained the lowest in the country.