The health officials of Kurnool and Anantapur districts are a relieved lot as there are no COVID-19 U.K. strain positive cases detected out of about 70 persons identified as U.K. returnees and tested.
Only two out of the 24 persons who had come to Anantapur tested positive for COVID-19 in the RT-PCR test done here and one of the samples sent to Pune for the determination of strain too turned out to be not the new U.K. strain but the earlier one prevalent in this region for the past nine months.
Anantapur District Medical and Health Officer Y. Kameswara Prasad tells The Hindu that the second positive case too has been referred to Pune and is expected to be a non-U.K. strain. None of the close contacts tested positive here.
"We are looking beyond this new strain and are getting ready for vaccination, which could begin by the end of January or beginning of February and the dry run for the process is being carried out at three places in the district in January first week," he observes. About 40,000 medical personnel from the government and private sector have been enumerated for vaccination. There is no special caution being made about the U.K. strain, but people are being told to continue the precautionary measures like wearing a mask, keeping physical distance etc.
Kurnool District Medical and Health Officer Y. Narsimhulu says all the 45 contacts forwarded by the airport authorities turned out to be COVID-19 negative and none of their close contacts too were positive.
30,000 register for vaccine
"There are close to 30,000 medical and health personnel working in government and private hospitals who have registered themselves on the COWIN software and as soon the vaccine is made available, we have enough storage capacity and will intimate each person to come to the designated place to get the shot," he says.
"We have been successful in reducing the fatalities in the district and are sure to complete the vaccination schedule too during the current year," Dr. Narsimhulu adds.
