New Delhi: The United Kingdom (UK) has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about a new species of SARS-Cove-2 virus [species under test (UVI) -20212/01]. According to estimates by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), this species infection spreads more quickly and affects the younger population. This species is defined by a set of 17 changes. The N501Y transformation is the most important component in spike proteins, which are used by viruses to bind the human ACE2 receptor. Changes in this part of the spike protein can make the virus more contagious and more easily spread among people.
The Ministry of Health has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on epidemiological monitoring and response. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the last 4 weeks (from 25 November to 23 December 2020) for all international travelers who have traveled or transit from the UK, details of their activities at the point of entry or when they arrive in the community Is included. Only the RT-PCR test is mentioned as a test in this SOP.
Flights from the UK have been temporarily postponed from 23 December to 31 December 2020 or until further orders. Passengers traveling through airports in the UK or arriving and arriving in India during the period between 21 and 23 December 2020 will be included in the RT-PCR test. In the case of an infected sample, it is recommended that spike gene-based RT-PCR testing should also be performed. Passengers found to be infected in the test will be kept separately in an institutional isolation facility in a separate (isolation) unit coordinated by the state health authorities concerned.
A necessary facility for sending samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, or any other suitable laboratory for genome sequencing will be introduced. If genomic sequencing indicates the presence of a new species of SARS-Cove-2, the patient will be placed in quarantine and treated according to the clinical protocol.
Those who are found to be infection-free on testing with RT-PCR at the airport will be advised to stay quarantined at home. Prior to check-in, the passenger will be explained about this SOP and in-flight announcements must also be made.
International travelers coming to India from the UK in the last month will be contacted by district monitoring officers and monitored in the community.
The State Governments / Integrated Disease Surveillance Program will ensure that all people who have come in contact with all those passengers arriving from the UK or transit through the UK in the last four weeks will be tracked and monitored. They will also be tested as per protocol and contacts will be made in different quarantine centers under institutional quarantine for effective isolation and surveillance in cases of infection.