Chennai, December 22: Amid rising concerns over the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus in the UK, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said that a man who arrived from the country tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, but added that it is not confirmed if he is infected with the new variant of the virus.

"We are testing for COVID-19 passengers of flights originating or halting in the UK. One such passenger tested positive yesterday. It's incorrect to presume that he is infected with the UK variant of COVID. We will send his samples to NIV in Pune," said Radhakrishnan. Coronavirus Is Mutating and the New COVID-19 Viral Strain Is 10 Times More Contagious than Original, Says Florida Study.

He added that state authorities are also identifying the people who travelled to the UK in the last 10 days and ensuring they all test negative in RT-PCR testing. On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had informed the public that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been found in the UK.

"Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned," he had tweeted.

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