Covid-19 Update: US Reports First Case Of Mutant Coronavirus; India Detects It In 20 UK Returnees

The United States has detected the first case of the new variant of coronavirus. Meanwhile, in India, a total of 20 UK returnees have tested positive for the mutant strain.

New Delhi: The new coronavirus strain seems to have reached far and wide. In the latest reports, the first case of the new strain of coronavirus has been detected in the US. According to media reports, a young man in his 20s from Colorado, Denver who has no travel history has tested positive for the new variant that was first discovered in the UK. The person has been kept in isolation. An Associated Press report says that public health officials are investigating other potential cases and performing contract tracing to determine the spread of the variant throughout the state. "There is a lot we don't know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority, and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely," said Governor Jared Polis. Cases in India Meanwhile, the cases of the mutant coronavirus have risen to 20 in India. According to information by ANI, 20 UK returnees have tested positive for the new strain of the virus.  On Tuesday, an official statement had said that 6 UK returnees were found positive. Those found positive with the mutant strain have now been kept in single room isolation and close contacts have also been put under quarantine.

#COVID19: Total 20 UK returnees to India have tested positive for the new COVID strain so far

— ANI (@ANI) December 30, 2020

On Tuesday, Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan had said that there is no evidence that current vaccines will fail to protect against the new Covid-19 variant. He said explained that most vaccines do target the Spike protein in which there are changes in the variants. Vaccines stimulate our immune system to produce a wide range of protective antibodies and the changes in the variants are not sufficient to make the vaccines ineffective.