Coronavirus Mutation: Indian Health Ministry Issues New Health Guidelines For International Travellers

A new strain of Coronavirus cases were discovered in the United Kingdome and it is reportedly the result of mutation. All the nation have tightened the precautionary measure because apparently the new strain might spread faster than we expect. Indian Health Ministry after imposing a temporary suspension on the UK flights has issues new health guidelines.

In view of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 virus, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). In the documentary statement the ministry stated, “This variant is estimated by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) to be more transmissible and affecting the younger population. This variant is defined by a set of 17 changes or mutations. One of the most significant is an N501Y mutation in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor. Changes in this part of the spike protein may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.”

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Health Ministry issues Standard Operating Procedure for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response in the context of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in United Kingdom.https://t.co/K1afqwckwy pic.twitter.com/SMsuZbRqSl

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) December 22, 2020

Here Check Out Major Points From The New Guidelines:

• All the international travellers are required to declare travel history of past 14 days and fill up a Self-Declaration Form to be screened at airports for COVID-19 using RT-PCR test.
• All the passengers who have come from the UK between December 21 and 23 will have to undergo RT-PCR tests.
• In case if their test result are positive, it has been recommended that the person must undergo spike gene-based RT-PCR test as well.
• All the passengers testing positive will be sent to an institutional isolation facility by the respective state authorities.
• If the travellers are detected to be carrying the current COVID-19 strain, they would be administered as per the ongoing treatment protocols, including home isolation or treatment at facility level depending on the severity of the disease.
• If the traveller is found to be carrying the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, then he/she will continue to remain in a separate isolation unit.
• Travellers testing negative in RT-PCR tests conducted at airports would be advised to stay under home quarantine.
• The Ministry stated with regard to SOPs to be followed by state governments: “All the contacts (without any exception) of those travellers who arrived at various airports on 21st-23rd December 2020 and tested positive would be subjected to institutional quarantine in separate quarantine centres and would be tested as per ICMR guidelines.”
• Those International travellers from the UK who have arrived in India from November 25 to December 8 (1st and 2nd week from November 25) will be contacted by District Surveillance Officers and advised to self-monitor their health.

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