Four more UK returnees test positive

Chennai

The four tested positive included two passengers from Chengalpattu, and one each from Chennai and Coimbatore. Officials said their contacts have been traced and tested, and have been kept in isolation.

According to Radhakrishnan, 44 persons who returned from the UK and their contacts have tested positive for COVID. Their samples were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, for genomic sequencing to find out if any of them carried the mutant variant of the coronavirus. Except the result of the one person, the only one from Tamil Nadu has been tested positive for the mutant strain, the results of the others are awaited.

“The UK returnees are being treated in a separate wing at the hospital. There will be no change in treatment protocol for COVID-19 for those who are testing positive among UK returnees. Apart from National Institute of Virology, we are also sending samples to two other national testing centres for genomic sequencing. As the genomic sequencing is a more complex process, it takes more time to perform it,” he said.

Officials here have estimated that about 2,300 passengers have come from the UK between November 25 and December 23, of whom 1,936 have been traced and tested. So far 44 have tested positive, and their samples were sent for genomic sequencing. Only one of them was found with the new strain.

The COVID test results of 59 persons are awaited, and the remaining 1,853 tested negative. However, as a matter of extra precaution, 1,554 close contacts of these persons were traced and tested, said officials, adding that all of them turned out to be negative.

The Health Secretary added that a 120-bed facility has been kept ready for UK returnees at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.