Tripura, Dec 26: A United Kingdom (UK) returnee was found to be COVID positive in Tripura. The news has been confirmed by Dr Siddhartha Shiv Jaisawal, Mission Director of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune on December 26 to find out whether the new strain of the coronavirus was present in his body or not.
The Mission Director said, another returnee from London has been tested and his samples have been taken and are the results are yet to be known.
Contact tracing has been started in Tripura for the man who was tested COVID-positive, and 40 people have been identified.
An official of the health department confirmed the news, saying samples were collected from West Tripura district. The man and his family have been kept at home in isolation.
A new strain of the coronavirus has been found in England, a strain identified by the nickname B1.1.1.7 strain. It is seventy times more likely to spread than other strains. India has suspended flights to England till December 31.
The Government of India has directed that any passenger passing through England should undergo RT-PCR test, and if tested positive shall quarantine, or undergo at least seven days of home isolation.
