India's health ministry said today that the number of cases of the new strain of coronavirus from the UK has gone up to 73. Watch: As India prepares to roll out the coronavirus vaccine in the next nine days, the government informed it is set to conduct a massive country-wide mock drill exercise of vaccine administration on January 8.

India's health ministry said today that the number of cases of the new strain of coronavirus from the UK has gone up to 73. Watch: As India prepares to roll out the coronavirus vaccine in the next nine days, the government informed it is set to conduct a massive country-wide mock drill exercise of vaccine administration on January 8. "Around 1.7 lakh vaccinators and 3 lakh vaccination team members have been trained in vaccine administration," the government said. Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will be meeting state health ministers of all the states and union territories on Thursday prior to the vaccine rollout dry run. Meanwhile, PM Modi spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday as both leaders discussed key issues of mutual importance including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral ties, regional and global issues including India-EU relations. Amid the rising number coronavirus cases, Andhra Pradesh reports 289 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 8,83,876, according to the state health department. The death toll in the state due to the virus has now reached 7,125. India's southern state of Tamil Nadu recorded 811 new coronavirus cases including 11 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 8,23,181. The state which is one of the worst-hit due to the virus has recorded 12,188 fatalities so far.

UK virus strain cases rise to 73 in India; massive COVID-19 vaccine dry run planned on January 8

Seven persons who recently arrived in Delhi from the UK and tested positive for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a>, have been found infected with the new strain of the coronavirus, officials said on Thursday.

Interacting with reporters, earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that a total of 38 people have been found positive since coming to Delhi from the UK recently, and kept in a separate institutional isolation unit on the LNJP Hospital premises.

Watch |&nbsp;

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"Four such patients have been found infected with the new UK strain of COVID-19. The persons who came in their contact have been also traced and tested, and its not in them. So, only these four cases of new strain in Delhi so far," he said.

"Flights have been stopped and those who came before that are being traced and tested rigorously," he added.

In the evening, a senior official said that a total of seven persons who have recently arrived in Delhi from the UK have been found infected with the new strain of COVID-19.

"Four of these have their addresses in Delhi, while the rest are from other places," he said.

Delhi recorded 574 fresh COVID-19 cases and 13 new fatalities on Thursday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 0.7 per cent, authorities said.

The infection tally in the city mounted to over 6.25 lakh and death toll rose to 10,536, they said, adding over 81,000 tests were conducted the previous day.

"Positivity rate has dropped to 0.8 per cent (on Wednesday) from 15.26 per cent on November 7. About 85 per cent beds are vacant, so the situation has improved a lot. And, so, it had been decided to make LNJP Hospital and GTB Hospital into partial COVID-19 facilities now. All services, including the OPD will be soon resumed gradually," Jain said.

As per the latest health bulletin, an order has been issued to create separate institutional isolation facility in four private hospitals on payment basis, for international passengers who have travelled from or transited through the UK in the past four weeks ( November 25 to December 24) and tested positive.

These facilities are --Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital, Saket; Batra Hospital &amp; Research Centre, Tughlakabad Institutional Area; Fortis Super Specialty Hospital, Vasant Kunj; and Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, the order said.

On the preparedness for the vaccination, Jain said, work is on to set up 1,000 vaccination centres.

"Also, so far we are aware that the vaccines will be made available freely by the central government," he said.

On the night curfew in Delhi in view of New Year's celebrations, Jain said the COVID-19 situation is under control right now, but huge gatherings could spell trouble again, and therefore, the curfew has been imposed.

The Delhi government has imposed night curfew from 11 pm to 6 am on December 31 and January 1 to avoid large gatherings during New Year celebrations due to COVID-19 and its highly transmissible UK strain.

Amid mounting concerns over the new variant of the COVID-19, the Delhi government had earlier said that people who had arrived here recently from that country, are being traced and tested, while an institutional quarantine facility has been set up separately for positive cases at the LNJP Hospital.

According to the Thursday bulletin, out of the total number of 18,718 beds in COVID hospitals, 16,622 are vacant.

It said that 108 beds in COVID care centres are occupied by persons under quarantine, including travellers who have returned by Vande Bharat Mission and bubble flights. 
The Delhi government had significantly ramped up testing in the past few weeks, with the count on several times crossing the 60,000-mark.

The number of tests done per million, as on Wednesday, was over 4.5 lakh while the total number of tests stood at over 86 lakh.

The bulletin said that 6,09,322 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far.

The number of containment zones in Delhi dropped to 4085 on Thursday.

The number of people in home isolation dropped to 2,761 on Thursday.

Seven persons who recently arrived in Delhi from the UK and tested positive for COVID-19, have been found infected with the new strain of the coronavirus, officials said on Thursday.

Seven persons who recently arrived in Delhi from the UK and tested positive for COVID-19, have been found infected with the new strain of the coronavirus, officials said on Thursday. Interacting with reporters, earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that a total of 38 people have been found positive since coming to Delhi from the UK recently, and kept in a separate institutional isolation unit on the LNJP Hospital premises. Watch | "Four such patients have been found infected with the new UK strain of COVID-19. The persons who came in their contact have been also traced and tested, and its not in them. So, only these four cases of new strain in Delhi so far," he said. "Flights have been stopped and those who came before that are being traced and tested rigorously," he added. In the evening, a senior official said that a total of seven persons who have recently arrived in Delhi from the UK have been found infected with the new strain of COVID-19. "Four of these have their addresses in Delhi, while the rest are from other places," he said. Delhi recorded 574 fresh COVID-19 cases and 13 new fatalities on Thursday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 0.7 per cent, authorities said. The infection tally in the city mounted to over 6.25 lakh and death toll rose to 10,536, they said, adding over 81,000 tests were conducted the previous day. "Positivity rate has dropped to 0.8 per cent (on Wednesday) from 15.26 per cent on November 7. About 85 per cent beds are vacant, so the situation has improved a lot. And, so, it had been decided to make LNJP Hospital and GTB Hospital into partial COVID-19 facilities now. All services, including the OPD will be soon resumed gradually," Jain said. As per the latest health bulletin, an order has been issued to create separate institutional isolation facility in four private hospitals on payment basis, for international passengers who have travelled from or transited through the UK in the past four weeks ( November 25 to December 24) and tested positive. These facilities are --Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital, Saket; Batra Hospital & Research Centre, Tughlakabad Institutional Area; Fortis Super Specialty Hospital, Vasant Kunj; and Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, the order said. On the preparedness for the vaccination, Jain said, work is on to set up 1,000 vaccination centres. "Also, so far we are aware that the vaccines will be made available freely by the central government," he said. On the night curfew in Delhi in view of New Year's celebrations, Jain said the COVID-19 situation is under control right now, but huge gatherings could spell trouble again, and therefore, the curfew has been imposed. The Delhi government has imposed night curfew from 11 pm to 6 am on December 31 and January 1 to avoid large gatherings during New Year celebrations due to COVID-19 and its highly transmissible UK strain. Amid mounting concerns over the new variant of the COVID-19, the Delhi government had earlier said that people who had arrived here recently from that country, are being traced and tested, while an institutional quarantine facility has been set up separately for positive cases at the LNJP Hospital. According to the Thursday bulletin, out of the total number of 18,718 beds in COVID hospitals, 16,622 are vacant. It said that 108 beds in COVID care centres are occupied by persons under quarantine, including travellers who have returned by Vande Bharat Mission and bubble flights. The Delhi government had significantly ramped up testing in the past few weeks, with the count on several times crossing the 60,000-mark. The number of tests done per million, as on Wednesday, was over 4.5 lakh while the total number of tests stood at over 86 lakh. The bulletin said that 6,09,322 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far. The number of containment zones in Delhi dropped to 4085 on Thursday. The number of people in home isolation dropped to 2,761 on Thursday.

Delhi: 38 UK returnees found positive for COVID; new strain detected in seven patients 

After twenty people who returned to India from the United Kingdom tested positive for the new UK coronavirus <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/2-year-old-in-uttar-pradesh-tests-positive-for-new-coronavirus-strain-353274">strain,</a> the traces of new strain was found in two people in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar(Noida).

Watch:

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Authorities have sent the samples of all those who they had contacted to the labs for testing.

Uttar Pradesh officials said that 2,500 samples have been sent to the labs of all those who had come in contact with those returning from the UK.

The UK government had informed a fortnight ago that the new strain was "70 per cent" more transferable and had originated from South Africa. &nbsp;

The new strain has been detected in several countries including in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Australia, &nbsp;Sweden, France, Canada, Lebanon and Singapore.

Six people had tested positive for the new virus strain on Tuesday in India and were shifted to single room isolation at various health care facilities in the states.

"Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on," the health ministry said.

"The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs," the ministry added.

According to India's health ministry, 33,000 passengers have disembarked at various Indian airports from the UK between November 25 to December 23 midnight.

India on Wednesday extended the flight ban to the UK to January 7 after announcing initially that it would be in force till December 31. The UK is one of the 23 countries with whom India shares an "air bubble".

After twenty people who returned to India from the United Kingdom tested positive for the new UK coronavirus strain, the traces of new strain was found in two people in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar(Noida).

After twenty people who returned to India from the United Kingdom tested positive for the new UK coronavirus strain, the traces of new strain was found in two people in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar(Noida). Watch: Authorities have sent the samples of all those who they had contacted to the labs for testing. Uttar Pradesh officials said that 2,500 samples have been sent to the labs of all those who had come in contact with those returning from the UK. The UK government had informed a fortnight ago that the new strain was "70 per cent" more transferable and had originated from South Africa. The new strain has been detected in several countries including in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Australia, Sweden, France, Canada, Lebanon and Singapore. Six people had tested positive for the new virus strain on Tuesday in India and were shifted to single room isolation at various health care facilities in the states. "Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on," the health ministry said. "The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs," the ministry added. According to India's health ministry, 33,000 passengers have disembarked at various Indian airports from the UK between November 25 to December 23 midnight. India on Wednesday extended the flight ban to the UK to January 7 after announcing initially that it would be in force till December 31. The UK is one of the 23 countries with whom India shares an "air bubble".

UK virus strain detected in two people in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, Noida

Virus mutations are common and on expected lines - all viruses mutate. Many mutations are meaningless and they also disappear but some do not.

Some mutations of the Wuhan virus are more infectious than the original almost 70 per cent more.

Countries around the world are beginning to impose stricter lockdowns and tougher restrictions on travel. In Germany, fear and uncertainty is causing more trouble than the mutated virus and in Russia, the mutated strain has led to a revelation - Russia's death toll is 3 times higher than official data.

With 81 million cases and over 1.7 million deaths, what could be worse is that the Wuhan virus has been mutating and spreading to new territories and claiming more lives while leaving fear and uncertainty in its trail.

In Germany, the new Wuhan virus variant is said to have been discovered in November but it wasn't until Christmas that the first known case was reported. On Sunday, the country kicked off a mass vaccination program to allay public fears but, it got off to an inauspicious start as care home workers got an overdose. They received five times the recommended amount of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. Four of them developed flu-like symptoms and ended up in the hospital.

The mishap has led to many German citizens raising doubts over vaccine side effects. In South Africa, the mutant strain is spreading like wildfire. It has led to a massive surge in cases. Last week, the country recorded a daily average of 11,700 infections which is a 39 per cent rise from the previous week.

South Africa has become the first country to register more than one million cases on the African continent with gatherings of more than 100 people banned. A night-time curfew has been put in place and there's a nationwide ban on alcohol sale.

"These additional measures are necessary to contain the resurgence that we are experiencing right now in Nelson Mandela bay to prevent outbreaks resulting from social gatherings and to protect the capacity of our health care system to provide care for those who need it," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said.

The South African strain has now crossed the Indian Ocean and entered Japan. It was brought by a woman in her 30s who arrived from South Africa on December 19. Meanwhile, Tokyo has reimposed tougher restrictions on travel. Foreign nationals must now get tested negative 72 hours before they arrive in Japan and they will have to quarantine for two weeks after travel.

In South Korea, the virus strain from Britain is wreaking havoc. The country has reported 40 new deaths which is a record daily toll since the pandemic began. Tougher restrictions have been imposed and tourist spots have been shut and testing ramped up.

Virus mutations have been reported in Russia as well Russia's death toll is three times higher than the official data. The country recorded nearly 229,700 deaths from all causes this year. Russia now admits 81 per cent of these deaths were due to the Wuhan virus which is more than 186,000 deaths.

Russia's current data of over 55,000 deaths stands nullified. Now it has the third-worst death toll globally. 2020 is ending, however, the pandemic is not. The Wuhan virus is still crossing the invisible bridge between people who are in close contact.

Our best defence is to close that bridge with masks, social distancing and lockdowns - if necessary.

Virus mutations are common and on expected lines - all viruses mutate. Many mutations are meaningless and they also disappear but some do not. Some mutations of the Wuhan virus are more infectious than the original almost 70 per cent more.

Virus mutations are common and on expected lines - all viruses mutate. Many mutations are meaningless and they also disappear but some do not. Some mutations of the Wuhan virus are more infectious than the original almost 70 per cent more. Countries around the world are beginning to impose stricter lockdowns and tougher restrictions on travel. In Germany, fear and uncertainty is causing more trouble than the mutated virus and in Russia, the mutated strain has led to a revelation - Russia's death toll is 3 times higher than official data. With 81 million cases and over 1.7 million deaths, what could be worse is that the Wuhan virus has been mutating and spreading to new territories and claiming more lives while leaving fear and uncertainty in its trail. In Germany, the new Wuhan virus variant is said to have been discovered in November but it wasn't until Christmas that the first known case was reported. On Sunday, the country kicked off a mass vaccination program to allay public fears but, it got off to an inauspicious start as care home workers got an overdose. They received five times the recommended amount of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. Four of them developed flu-like symptoms and ended up in the hospital. The mishap has led to many German citizens raising doubts over vaccine side effects. In South Africa, the mutant strain is spreading like wildfire. It has led to a massive surge in cases. Last week, the country recorded a daily average of 11,700 infections which is a 39 per cent rise from the previous week. South Africa has become the first country to register more than one million cases on the African continent with gatherings of more than 100 people banned. A night-time curfew has been put in place and there's a nationwide ban on alcohol sale. "These additional measures are necessary to contain the resurgence that we are experiencing right now in Nelson Mandela bay to prevent outbreaks resulting from social gatherings and to protect the capacity of our health care system to provide care for those who need it," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said. The South African strain has now crossed the Indian Ocean and entered Japan. It was brought by a woman in her 30s who arrived from South Africa on December 19. Meanwhile, Tokyo has reimposed tougher restrictions on travel. Foreign nationals must now get tested negative 72 hours before they arrive in Japan and they will have to quarantine for two weeks after travel. In South Korea, the virus strain from Britain is wreaking havoc. The country has reported 40 new deaths which is a record daily toll since the pandemic began. Tougher restrictions have been imposed and tourist spots have been shut and testing ramped up. Virus mutations have been reported in Russia as well Russia's death toll is three times higher than the official data. The country recorded nearly 229,700 deaths from all causes this year. Russia now admits 81 per cent of these deaths were due to the Wuhan virus which is more than 186,000 deaths. Russia's current data of over 55,000 deaths stands nullified. Now it has the third-worst death toll globally. 2020 is ending, however, the pandemic is not. The Wuhan virus is still crossing the invisible bridge between people who are in close contact. Our best defence is to close that bridge with masks, social distancing and lockdowns - if necessary.

Wuhan virus strain enters new territories, claims more lives

The coronavirus pandemic is now one year old, however, now the Wuhan virus has been mutating - changing shape, picking pace and infecting more people.

Virus mutations have been common. The Wuhan virus has mutated some 4,000 times, however, the world heard about it last month because one particular mutation was dangerous - called the UK strain. The new strain spreads faster and it has reached at least 13 countries including India.

The latest cases of the mutated UK strain is in India. The mutation has been found in six patients, all of them recently returned from the United Kingdom. The vaccines are round the corner but the threat is not past. This is not the time to let your guard down. The UK mutation is 70 per cent more infectious and more dangerous. &nbsp;

There were six cases of the UK strain in India even after India banned flights from the UK. These six people had already landed in India before the flight ban - they are all Indian citizens. Three of them are in Bengaluru, two in Hyderabad and one in Pune - all of them are in single room isolation.

Those who came in contact with them have been quarantined.&nbsp;

The UK strain is not deadlier but it spreads faster. The Wuhan virus has undergone 17 different changes and turned into what is called the UK variant. These 17 changes make it more infectious, and it spreads faster from one person to another. Also, from one cell to another.

The mutated virus spreads more quickly in the human body and it takes over a cell, replicates, enters another cell and repeats at a fast pace. It can potentially overwhelm your immune response make it harder for our body to fight back which means, more serious cases.

It could even mean more deaths and children and young people may be more vulnerable to this infection. Stepping up surveillance and contact tracing is one of the solutions. Reports say 33,000 passengers arrived from the UK between November 25 and December 23.

State governments across India are now reaching out to these passengers. They are being given swab tests and their contacts are also being tested. India however is finally looking at good news with fewer cases, fewer deaths. The pandemic has finally been controlled.

New infections fell to their lowest in more than six months. New cases have dropped below 20,000 for the second time in seven days but India isn't letting its guard down. The government has issued new guidelines with states and Union territories asked to keep a strict vigil.

A lot of hope is riding on vaccines. The good news is they will which is what most vaccine makers claim. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being given in the US, UK and Europe. The company says the vaccine will be effective, if needed, they can modify it within six weeks the same is the case with the Oxford vaccine.

The Oxford vaccine makers AstraZeneca says the vaccine should be effective against mutations. The Oxford vaccine is yet to be approved by regulators for emergency use. It is the frontrunner in India. Indian drug regulators are reviewing the trial data of the Oxford vaccine with the rollout expected in January.

India has already conducted dry runs in four states. The Serum Institute has the license to supply the Oxford shots in India. Reports say the company has already made 40 to 50 million dozes also reviewing the Oxford shot is the United Kingdom.&nbsp;

Reports say London could give the green light by Thursday and India should follow soon after but it will be a while before everyone gets a shot. In the meantime wear your mask, wash your hands, avoid crowded spaces and maintain social distancing.

The best strategies are the simplest as legendary molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg described humanity's struggle against new diseases: "It's our wits versus their genes".

The coronavirus pandemic is now one year old, however, now the Wuhan virus has been mutating - changing shape, picking pace and infecting more people. Virus mutations have been common.

The coronavirus pandemic is now one year old, however, now the Wuhan virus has been mutating - changing shape, picking pace and infecting more people. Virus mutations have been common. The Wuhan virus has mutated some 4,000 times, however, the world heard about it last month because one particular mutation was dangerous - called the UK strain. The new strain spreads faster and it has reached at least 13 countries including India. The latest cases of the mutated UK strain is in India. The mutation has been found in six patients, all of them recently returned from the United Kingdom. The vaccines are round the corner but the threat is not past. This is not the time to let your guard down. The UK mutation is 70 per cent more infectious and more dangerous. There were six cases of the UK strain in India even after India banned flights from the UK. These six people had already landed in India before the flight ban - they are all Indian citizens. Three of them are in Bengaluru, two in Hyderabad and one in Pune - all of them are in single room isolation. Those who came in contact with them have been quarantined. The UK strain is not deadlier but it spreads faster. The Wuhan virus has undergone 17 different changes and turned into what is called the UK variant. These 17 changes make it more infectious, and it spreads faster from one person to another. Also, from one cell to another. The mutated virus spreads more quickly in the human body and it takes over a cell, replicates, enters another cell and repeats at a fast pace. It can potentially overwhelm your immune response make it harder for our body to fight back which means, more serious cases. It could even mean more deaths and children and young people may be more vulnerable to this infection. Stepping up surveillance and contact tracing is one of the solutions. Reports say 33,000 passengers arrived from the UK between November 25 and December 23. State governments across India are now reaching out to these passengers. They are being given swab tests and their contacts are also being tested. India however is finally looking at good news with fewer cases, fewer deaths. The pandemic has finally been controlled. New infections fell to their lowest in more than six months. New cases have dropped below 20,000 for the second time in seven days but India isn't letting its guard down. The government has issued new guidelines with states and Union territories asked to keep a strict vigil. A lot of hope is riding on vaccines. The good news is they will which is what most vaccine makers claim. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being given in the US, UK and Europe. The company says the vaccine will be effective, if needed, they can modify it within six weeks the same is the case with the Oxford vaccine. The Oxford vaccine makers AstraZeneca says the vaccine should be effective against mutations. The Oxford vaccine is yet to be approved by regulators for emergency use. It is the frontrunner in India. Indian drug regulators are reviewing the trial data of the Oxford vaccine with the rollout expected in January. India has already conducted dry runs in four states. The Serum Institute has the license to supply the Oxford shots in India. Reports say the company has already made 40 to 50 million dozes also reviewing the Oxford shot is the United Kingdom. Reports say London could give the green light by Thursday and India should follow soon after but it will be a while before everyone gets a shot. In the meantime wear your mask, wash your hands, avoid crowded spaces and maintain social distancing. The best strategies are the simplest as legendary molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg described humanity's struggle against new diseases: "It's our wits versus their genes".

Why the Wuhan virus has now become deadlier

After India reported six cases of the mutant virus which had was reported in the UK, the Indian government said the vaccines will work against the variants detected in the UK and South Africa.

Watch:

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"There is no evidence that the current vaccines will fail to protect against the coronavirus variants," &nbsp;K. Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to the Indian government, said. &nbsp;

"Prior to the news of the UK variant came in, we had done roughly 5,000 genome sequences across labs. Now we will be significantly increasing that number and would be working in a coordinated manner," Rajesh Bhushan, the health secretary said.

The health secretary informed that the daily new <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-reports-first-six-cases-of-mutant-coronavirus-from-britain-353077">coronavirus</a> cases had dropped to less than 17,000 after six months with daily deaths going down to less than 300 after six months.

The &nbsp;Rajesh Bhushan asserted that deaths were found to have occurred in 60 years&nbsp;&amp; above age group and 70 per cent of the deaths had occurred to males.

The health secretary said 63 per cent of total cases were reported in males &amp; 37 per cent cases in females with 8 per cent cases reported below the age of 17 years and 13 per cent in 18-25 yrs age group. The health secretary also informed that 39 per cent people were infected in the in 26-44 age group with 26 pr cent in 45-60 category and 14 per cent in the above 60-year category.

"Active cases in the country are less than 2.7 lakhs and is declining. Positivity rate in the country during the last week stood at only 2.25 per cent," Bhushan informed.

ICMR, meanwhile said it was important not to put too much "immune pressure" on the virus.&nbsp;

"We have to maintain judicious use of therapies which are going to benefit. If the benefit isn't established, we shouldn't use those therapies otherwise it will put pressure on the virus and it will tend to mutate more," he said.

After India reported six cases of the mutant virus which had was reported in the UK, the Indian government said the vaccines will work against the variants detected in the UK and South Africa.

After India reported six cases of the mutant virus which had was reported in the UK, the Indian government said the vaccines will work against the variants detected in the UK and South Africa. Watch: "There is no evidence that the current vaccines will fail to protect against the coronavirus variants," K. Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to the Indian government, said. "Prior to the news of the UK variant came in, we had done roughly 5,000 genome sequences across labs. Now we will be significantly increasing that number and would be working in a coordinated manner," Rajesh Bhushan, the health secretary said. The health secretary informed that the daily new coronavirus cases had dropped to less than 17,000 after six months with daily deaths going down to less than 300 after six months. The Rajesh Bhushan asserted that deaths were found to have occurred in 60 years & above age group and 70 per cent of the deaths had occurred to males. The health secretary said 63 per cent of total cases were reported in males & 37 per cent cases in females with 8 per cent cases reported below the age of 17 years and 13 per cent in 18-25 yrs age group. The health secretary also informed that 39 per cent people were infected in the in 26-44 age group with 26 pr cent in 45-60 category and 14 per cent in the above 60-year category. "Active cases in the country are less than 2.7 lakhs and is declining. Positivity rate in the country during the last week stood at only 2.25 per cent," Bhushan informed. ICMR, meanwhile said it was important not to put too much "immune pressure" on the virus. "We have to maintain judicious use of therapies which are going to benefit. If the benefit isn't established, we shouldn't use those therapies otherwise it will put pressure on the virus and it will tend to mutate more," he said.

No evidence current vaccines will fail against virus variants: Indian government

Amid reports that two passengers from the UK tested positive for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-students-families-coming-home-for-new-year-caught-up-in-uk-flight-suspension-351489">coronavirus</a>, India's top NITI Aayog official said that "the new strain or mutation of coronavirus seen in the United Kingdom has not been seen in India&nbsp;so far."

Watch:

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"The new strain of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom has increased transmissibility, the mutation is not affecting the severity of the disease. Case fatality is not affected by this mutation," Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said.

Dr Paul asserted that there is "no cause for concern" and "no need to panic", however, he urged people to "stay vigilant".

"As of now, it has no impact on the potential of the emerging vaccines being developed in our country and are available in other countries," he said.

Meanwhile, Chetan Kohli, COO, Genestrings Diagnostic Labs said: "All 199 British Airways passengers who arrived in Delhi today morning have tested negative."

The Indian government had suspended all flights from the UK from December 22 after the announcement of the new strain of coronavirus which the British Prim Minister Boris Johnson had said was “up to 70 per cent” more transmissible than earlier strains.

The new strain – now officially named <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-bans-flights-from-uk-over-new-covid-19-variant-spread-351346">VUI-202012/01</a> – showed a “substantial increase in transmissibility”.&nbsp;

The Maharashtra government has imposed night curfew in Mumbai fears about the new COVID-19 strain from Britain. The local government has decided that air passengers from Europe or the Middle East will have to go into quarantine after arrival and will have to be tested.

The night curfew is set to last till January 5 in Maharashtra.

Amid reports that two passengers from the UK tested positive for coronavirus, India's top NITI Aayog official said that "the new strain or mutation of coronavirus seen in the United Kingdom has not been seen in India so far.

Amid reports that two passengers from the UK tested positive for coronavirus, India's top NITI Aayog official said that "the new strain or mutation of coronavirus seen in the United Kingdom has not been seen in India so far." Watch: "The new strain of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom has increased transmissibility, the mutation is not affecting the severity of the disease. Case fatality is not affected by this mutation," Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said. Dr Paul asserted that there is "no cause for concern" and "no need to panic", however, he urged people to "stay vigilant". "As of now, it has no impact on the potential of the emerging vaccines being developed in our country and are available in other countries," he said. Meanwhile, Chetan Kohli, COO, Genestrings Diagnostic Labs said: "All 199 British Airways passengers who arrived in Delhi today morning have tested negative." The Indian government had suspended all flights from the UK from December 22 after the announcement of the new strain of coronavirus which the British Prim Minister Boris Johnson had said was “up to 70 per cent” more transmissible than earlier strains. The new strain – now officially named VUI-202012/01 – showed a “substantial increase in transmissibility”. The Maharashtra government has imposed night curfew in Mumbai fears about the new COVID-19 strain from Britain. The local government has decided that air passengers from Europe or the Middle East will have to go into quarantine after arrival and will have to be tested. The night curfew is set to last till January 5 in Maharashtra.

New strain of coronavirus not seen in India so far: Government

While the first coronavirus case in India was confirmed on January 30 in Kerala. A new study has claimed that novel coronavirus strain with Chinese roots was circulation in the country as early as November 2019. Watch report.

Study on coronavirus strain circulating in India, As early as November 2019