New Delhi: Seven persons who recently arrived in Delhi from the UK and tested positive for COVID-19, have been found infected with the new strain of the coronavirus, officials said Thursday. Interacting with reporters, earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that a total of 38 people have been found positive since coming here from the UK recently. They have been kept in a separate institutional isolation unit on the LNJP Hospital premises.
“Four such patients have been found infected with the new UK strain of COVID-19. The persons who came in their contact have been also traced and tested, and the new strain is not in them. So, only these four cases of new strain in Delhi so far,” Jain said. “Flights have been stopped and those who came before that are being traced and tested rigorously,” he added.
However, in the evening, a senior official said that a total of seven persons who have recently arrived in Delhi from the UK have been found infected with the new strain of COVID-19.
“Four of these have their addresses in Delhi, while the rest are from other places,” he said.
Delhi recorded 574 fresh COVID-19 cases and 13 new fatalities Thursday. However, the positivity rate slipped to 0.7 per cent, authorities said.
The infection tally in the city mounted to over 6.25 lakh and death toll rose to 10,536, they said. Officials stated over 81,000 tests were conducted the previous day.
As per the latest health bulletin, an order has been issued to create separate institutional isolation facility in four private hospitals on payment basis, for international passengers who have travelled from or transited through the UK in the past four weeks (November 25 to December 24) and tested positive.
On the preparedness for the vaccination, Jain said, work is on to set up 1,000 vaccination centres.