Traces of a new strain of coronavirus were found in two people who recently returned from the United Kingdom, an Uttar Pradesh official said on Wednesday. The two cases were reported in Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar and samples of their contacts are also being taken, Additional Chief Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad said.
Medical samples from passengers who returned from the UK after December 9 are currently being tested for the new mutant coronavirus strain and till now around 2,500 samples have been sent to the labs, he said, adding that so far 10 people who returned from the UK have tested positive. Gene sequencing is being done to ascertain what kind of virus they are carrying, he added.
As many as 2,112 people have tested negative, Prasad said.
