18 UK returnees to Kerala test positive

Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 18 UK returnees have so far tested positive for COVID-19, Health minister K K Shailaja said here on Tuesday.

Arrangements had been made to quarantine at home those who had come back from the UK after the new variant of the virus surfaced, she told reporters here.

Eight people who returned from Britain had been found positivefor the virus and their samples had been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for Genomic analysis. In the backdrop of at least six people in India testing positive for the new UK variant SARS-CoV2 strain, the elderly and those suffering from comorbidity symptoms should be vigilant, the minister said.

She said surveillance at the four international airports in Kerala has already been strengthened. After the recently held local body polls, it was feared that there would be a massive surge in cases. However, that did not occur.

The Death rate did not go up in the state as the government had taken precautionary steps in this regard, theminister had said earlier.