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As several suspected Covid-19 cases arrived in India from the UK by flights, Health Ministry on Tuesday came out with a new set of protocols for identifying and isolating patients from the island nation where a more virulent SARS-CoV2 strain is creating havoc.
Apart from subjecting all suspected Covid-19 cases coming from or transited through the UK to RT-PCR tests, the standard operating procedure (SOP) published by the Health Ministry in the wee hours on Tuesday called for separate isolation facilities for those testing positive for the new strain, which is feared to be more transmissible and affected younger population.
The SARS-CoV2 strain called VUI-20212/01 is said to have a set of 17 mutations, including one in the spike protein which makes the virus more infectious. India has already suspended the flights from the UK till December 31.
As per the Health Ministry directive, all passengers coming on the flights departing from the US will be compulsorily tested using RT-PCR. If anybody is tested positive for Covid-19, they would be further subjected to more specific spike protein-based PCR tests for ascertaining the presence of the new strain.
Directives to state authorities
State health authorities have been directed to isolate the passengers testing positive in a separate institutional isolation facility till the time the National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirms the strain isolated from the patient is similar to that is circulating in the country. If the strain is found to be identical to the ones already exist in India, they can be allowed to go for home isolation, quarantine or treatment depending on severity. Those carrying the new variant, however, will remain isolated in the separate facility till they are completely cured, the ministry said. The patient will be tested after 14 days. If found positive on 14th day, he or she will remain in separate isolation unit till two consecutive tests, carried out 24 hours apart, tested negative.
Similarly, the Bureau of Immigration has to be prepare the list of all passengers travelled through the UK to India for four weeks (between November 25 and December 23) and pass them on to the State health authorities and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) so that this data can be provided to surveillance teams.
The Ministry also directed the States to trace all contacts of the travellers who arrived between December 21 and 23 and tested positive to institutional quarantine in separate quarantine centres. These contacts would be those sitting in the same row as the suspected case as well as those in three rows in the front and three rows in the back and also cabin crew.
The list of travellers (travelling between December 21-23 ) who are found RT-PCR negative at airports shall be shared with the respective States by the Central unit of IDSP. They shall be advised for quarantine at home and tested as per ICMR guidelines (or earlier if the passenger develops any symptoms suggestive of Covid-19). They would be monitored by respective State governments or IDSP.
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