The Odisha government on Friday said it had not found mutated U.K. strain among those tested positive for COVID-19 on their return from Britain.
“We have tested all the people who have returned from the U.K. I have had a long discussion with the director of Institute of Life Science. From genome sequencing, it was found not a single person had carried the U.K. strain,” said Pradipta Mohapatra, Additional Chief Secretary (Health).
According to Health department sources, 188 persons have returned from the U.K. While 179 have been traced, seven of them have so far tested positive for COVID-19.
The State Health and Family Welfare department said RT-PCR tests had been conducted on all U.K. returnees and family members.
Dry run
Meanwhile, Odisha is getting ready for dry run for COVID-19 vaccination in all district headquarter towns on Saturday.
At each site, 25 beneficiaries (healthcare workers) will be enrolled in the portal for dry run vaccination. A five-member vaccination team, including one vaccinator, will be deployed at each site. The State government said all protocols related to the vaccination would be followed during the dry run.
