At least eight persons who returned from the United Kingdom (UK) to Kerala have tested COVID-19 positive and their swab samples have been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for further examination, Health Minister KK Shailaja said on Saturday.
“Research conducted by the Health Department in Kozhikode shows a slight change in the strain of the virus. To be sure, we are conducting this research in all districts of Kerala. This strain is not like the one found in the UK,” Shailaja said in Kannur.
The Health Minister said that there is no need to panic as the death rate in the state is still below 0.5 per cent but she added that people need to maintain a strict vigil.
“Due to the local body elections, there was a slight increase in cases and we expected it. The state’s death rate is still below 0.5 per cent,” she said.
Last week, the new strain of the coronavirus was detected in the UK. As per the experts, this strain is more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
A total of 5,397 new COVID-19 cases and 4,506 recoveries were reported in Kerala yesterday
