NOIDA: The test reports of three primary and 28 secondary contacts of the 33-year-old woman, who was found positive for the new strain of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease, have confirmed that none of them has been infected so far. However, as a precautionary measure, all of them have been asked to be under quarantine at home, said officials.

Gautam Buddha Nagar’s chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Deepak Ohri said the three primary contacts of the woman were administered the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), considered the golden standard for testing for Covid-19. After their reports came negative, RT-PCR tests were conducted on the 28 secondary contacts, identified through surveillance. “All of them have been found negative. The three primary contacts of the patient, including two family members and one domestic helper, were also tested via RT-PCR and their results came out negative,” he said. He added that ever since the new variant, referred to as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 (Variant Under Investigation, year 2020, month 12, variant 01), was detected in India in early December last year, the district administration has identified as many as 260 people who had returned from the UK after December 8 – the new strain is said to have first been detected in the UK. “While 189 of them had been tested with the RT-PCR method, the remaining 71 are either on vacation or have permanently shifted to other places in the country. We’ve cross-notified them to their present locations, based on telephonic conversations with them,” he said.

The CMO also said that only two out of the 189 were found positive for Covid-19 through the RT-PCT testing method. For confirmation of the presence of the new variant among positive patients, samples of both patients were sent for genomic sequencing to the Indian Council of Medical research’s (ICMR) laboratory in Delhi. While the ICMR reports confirmed the 33-year-old woman case on Tuesday, the other – a 28-year woman from Greater Noida – was found negative for the new strain,” Dr Ohri said.

Meanwhile, Covid-dedicated healthcare facilities in the district have started making arrangements to accommodate patients infected with the new variant, if any. While the administration has prepared an international traveller ward at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), the Sharda Hospital has readied a 30-bed ward for patients of the new strain. Dr Saurabh Srivastava, the head of the Covid-19 ward at GIMS, said the hospital is ready to tackle any critical situation. “The condition of the patient infected with the new strain is quite under control. We believe in controlling the pandemic instead of panicking,” he said.

Dr Bhumesh Tyagi, a physician at the isolation ward of Sharda hospital, said that as the new strain is more contagious, the hospital management has readied a 30-bed exclusive ward to accommodate patients infected with new strain, if any. “The new strain appears very unpredictable, as it infects mostly younger people. However, our fingers are crossed regarding the lethality of the new strain. But to avert any mishap, we are ready with our resources. We’ve deployed 13 doctors for this ward,” he said.

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