Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government has decided to go for intense surveillance, Contact Tracing, RT-PCR Test of all incoming passengers from United Kingdom (UK) as a mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in UK, which is spreading and growing rapidly.
Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, ACS Health & Family Welfare has directed all the District Collectors, Municipal Commissioners and CMO & PHOs of all the Districts in this regard.
While enclosing the list of 43 persons returning from UK during last 14 days shared by Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Department of Health and Family Welfare has requested the authorities to undertake intense surveillance, Contact Tracing and RT-PCR Tests with the incoming passengers to prevent the spread of the mutated COVID Virus in the State.
While directing for intense surveillance, the State Government has also issued Guidelines for sample collection, storage and transport of Genome Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2.
Mr.Mohapatra, ACS Health & Family Welfare has said that as a mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in UK, which is spreading and growing rapidly and this strain has been reported to have higher transmissibility as compared to the earlier strains.
Hence, intense screening of all incoming passengers from the UK is required to prevent spread of the mutated virus in India. All incoming passengers will be subjected to RTPCR Test followed by Genome Sequencing at the designated laboratories.
State Government has mentioned that DBT-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar has been declared as the designated laboratory for SARS-CoV-2-Genome Sequencing.
In this context, the State Government has issued detailed guidelines for sample collection, storage and transport of samples for Sequencing at the Designated Laboratory, said a senior official of the Department of Health and Family Welfare.