The threat of new strain of Coronavirus looms large over Chhattisgarh as four returnees from United Kingdom have been tested positive while several others have gone off-track. According to the reports, four persons, who recently returned from the UK, have been tested positive for Covid-19. These include one from Bilaspur and three from Durg. Worrying yet, the eleven UK returnees have gone off-track. The Health Department couldn't contact them as they have turned off their mobile phones.

 

Health Department is now frantically searching for these people, but still has no clue regarding their whereabouts. Meanwhile, Health Department has sought help from Police Department in search of these people. The Health Department has also passed on details of 11 passengers to the District Administration so that they could be traced and isolated. Sources informed that around 33 people have returned to Chhattisgarh from UK between December 9 and 23, but 11 people out of these returnees are untraceable as of now. Most of them are residents of Katoratalab, Shyam Nagar, Tagore Nagar, Shankar Nagar and some other areas. A young man of Bilha, Bilaspur, was tested positive after returning from the UK, following which he was admitted to a Covid Hospital.

 

Three patients of Durg have also been admitted to the Covid Centres. The new strain of Covid-19 has 70 per cent more transmissibility rate than the previous one. Since it spreads faster, many nations have seen relapse in situation with sudden steep spike in the numbers of Covid-19 cases. The UK, where the strain was first discovered in September, has withdrawn all the relaxations given in the lockdown and re-imposed curfews in many areas. Several nations including India have stopped all flights to and from the UK. The Doctors and Scientists, however, said, the new strain isn't any more fatal than the previous version of the Coronavirus. Speaking to The Hitavada, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singhdeo said, he has directed the officials concerned to trace the passengers returned from UK by any means necessary. He has asked officials to trace the passengers from their passport records.

 

The search for missing passengers is being conducted by Rapid Response Team, which is chaired by the District Collector. Regarding the new strain, Singhdeo assured that scientists are quite sure the vaccines developed will work in the new strain of virus, which has developed 17 mutations and if the scientists think the present vaccine may not be effective on new strain, they are ready to make necessary changes in the vaccines also according to the mutations in virus. Also, the present diagnosis methods are quite effective in detecting the new strain.