COVID-19 UK Strain discovered in Assam; here's what you should know

GUWAHATI: Assam's health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today sounded a warning over the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant in Assam that is reportedly 70% more transmissible than existing strains and was first detected in the United Kingdom (UK).

Addressing a press conference at the conference room of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital here, Sarma said: “The UK variant of the COVID spreads faster, is lighter, and stays in the air for a longer time — therefore, I feel that one who has come from outside should not mix too much with family members until a negative RT-PCR test is declared,” said Sarma, adding that the new lighter strain could push the state's health machinery to its edge and therefore, it is preparing itself by ensuring the availability of oxygen, beds, Remdesivir, etc.

Although the COVID-19 situation in Assam is not too dire, the minister added, one should be wary of the more transmissible strain.

The fast-moving new variant of the coronavirus that is reportedly 70% more transmissible than existing strains was first detected in the United Kingdom. According to experts, this new strain is "more transmissible, more contagious than the virus we’ve seen prior to this."

Sarma, at the same time, confirmed that strains of the Covid virus with "double mutations" -- becoming more and more prevalent in India in the 'second wave' of infections -- are yet to be detected in Assam.

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He said that although the ICMR's laboratory in Lahowal, Dibrugarh, has been doing genome sequencing found in the state, the dreaded "double mutation" is yet to be found.

Ruling out the possibility of election rallies being transmission points, the minister said that all cases of the virus have arrived from other states and there is no "indigenous" COVID-19.

Sarma backed up his statement by adding that the virus is mainly concentrated in Guwahati and some of the other larger industrial/business centres in the state and not all across the state.

"Last year we had a national lockdown and 5 lakh people came back. This year there is no such possibility. In Guwahati airport, for instance, the number of incoming air passengers has dwindled in view of the imposition of tests," he added, explaining why another outbreak on the scale of the first wave in 2020 is "unlikely."

Air passengers, train passengers, and their relatives are the only ones transmitting the virus in the state, the minister said. Sarma, however, clarified that the state government has no intention of imposing any restrictions on travel to arrest the spread.

About the COVID-19's newer strains:

According to a report in NDTV, strains of the Covid virus in India with "double mutations" have been found in patients in at least 10 states. Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh are among the states where double mutant strains were found and this could be responsible for rising infections and a faster spread in these states.

A "double mutation" is when two mutated strains of a virus come together to form a third strain. The one reported in India is the result of the E484Q and L452R strains combining.

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