- Health department took samples of 12 UK returnees for genotyping
- Six samples tested positive for coronavirus
- New variant detected in three patients
KARACHI: Sindh Health Department on Tuesday said the new coronavirus variant found in the United Kingdom has been identified in three samples taken from passengers who recently returned from Britain.
The new strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.17 lineage, is not the first variant of COVID-19 pandemic, but it is said to be up to 70% more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the UK.
The health department took samples of 12 UK returnees for genotyping out of which six returned positive for the coronavirus. “Three showed the new variant for the COVID-19 in the first phase of testing.”
The press statement said the genotyping shows it to be a 95% match of the new strain initially detected in the UK. The authorities have begun tracing contacts of the patients and placing them under isolation.
“These samples will go through a second round of genotyping,” Sindh Health Department spokesperson Meeran Yousuf told Geo.tv, adding that the cases were identified in Karachi.
The provincial health department has informed Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan of the development.
