Hyderabad, December 24: Seven people who returned here recently from the UK tested positive for COVID-19 and their swab samples have been sent for screening to ascertain if they carry the new variant of the coronavirus detected there, a senior Telangana Health official said on Thursday.

The seven have been admitted to hospitals and are being monitored continuously, Public Health Director G Srinivas Rao said. We have found seven persons who returned from the UK during the past two weeks to be positive for the coronavirus. Their samples were sent to CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) for further tests to check if they have the new strain of the virus, he told PTI. COVID-19 New Strain: 5 Coronavirus Positive UK Returnees Flee Delhi Airport; One Traced in Ludhiana, Other in Andhra Pradesh, Say Reports.

Meanwhile, an official release from Health Minister E Rajender said so far 1,200 people had come to Telangana from or via the United Kingdom since December 12.

Seven out of 846 tested positive, it said adding efforts were on to trace people who came in contact with them. Amid expected approval for a COVID-19 vaccine soon, it also said arrangements were being made to vaccinate (two doses) 70 to 80 lakh people in the first phase.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)