<p>The number of persons infected with the UK strain of the coronavirus have increased to 90, the health ministry said on Saturday even as flights from Britain resumed after a 16-day suspension to prevent the spread of the mutant strain in India.</p>.<p>According to the ministry, all the 90 persons have been kept in a single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by the respective state governments and their close contacts have also been put under quarantine.</p>.<p>Read:<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/covid-19-vaccination-drive-in-india-to-start-on-jan-16-937113.html"><strong> Covid-19 vaccination drive in India to start on Jan 16</strong></a></p>.<p>“Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is also on,” the ministry added.</p>.<p>Flights from the UK resumed on Friday after the government had suspended all the services on December 23.</p>.<p>India first detected the “more transmissible” UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 on December 29 when six passengers who had returned from Britain were found to be positive with the new variant genome.</p>.<p>The tracing and testing were initiated after the British government announced that a newly identified strain of the virus, which is up to 70 per cent more transmissible, was found in their population.</p>.<p>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/man-dies-days-after-participating-in-covaxin-covid-19-vaccine-trial-in-bhopal-937050.html"><strong>Man dies days after participating in Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine trial in Bhopal</strong></a></p>.<p>Countries such as Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore have also reported the mutant strain of the virus.</p>.<p>India has initiated heightened surveillance measures to detect the UK strain of the coronavirus by making it mandatory for passengers traveling from Britain to undergo a RT-PCR test on arrival at airports here.</p>
<p>The number of persons infected with the UK strain of the coronavirus have increased to 90, the health ministry said on Saturday even as flights from Britain resumed after a 16-day suspension to prevent the spread of the mutant strain in India.</p>.<p>According to the ministry, all the 90 persons have been kept in a single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by the respective state governments and their close contacts have also been put under quarantine.</p>.<p>Read:<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/covid-19-vaccination-drive-in-india-to-start-on-jan-16-937113.html"><strong> Covid-19 vaccination drive in India to start on Jan 16</strong></a></p>.<p>“Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is also on,” the ministry added.</p>.<p>Flights from the UK resumed on Friday after the government had suspended all the services on December 23.</p>.<p>India first detected the “more transmissible” UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 on December 29 when six passengers who had returned from Britain were found to be positive with the new variant genome.</p>.<p>The tracing and testing were initiated after the British government announced that a newly identified strain of the virus, which is up to 70 per cent more transmissible, was found in their population.</p>.<p>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/man-dies-days-after-participating-in-covaxin-covid-19-vaccine-trial-in-bhopal-937050.html"><strong>Man dies days after participating in Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine trial in Bhopal</strong></a></p>.<p>Countries such as Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore have also reported the mutant strain of the virus.</p>.<p>India has initiated heightened surveillance measures to detect the UK strain of the coronavirus by making it mandatory for passengers traveling from Britain to undergo a RT-PCR test on arrival at airports here.</p>
