All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Randeep Guleria on Wednesday said it was possible that the more contagious and geneticall...
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Randeep Guleria on Wednesday said it was possible that the more contagious and genetically distinct variant of the coronavirus had penetrated Indian borders in November, a month before it was officially reported in the country, reported ANI.
“There is a possibility that this may happen because we must remember that this strain was first reported in the end of September and there were people who have an infection with this strain in the United Kingdom,” Guleria told the news agency. In India, first six cases of the new strain were reported on December 23. By December 30, the tally was up to 20.
Guleria, however, said it was difficult to say for sure when exactly were the first cases reported. “It will depend upon data,” he added. “There are studies being done in our country by the SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG), which are looking at the samples even from November onwards.”
The AIIMS director noted that even though the number of cases in the country “was not very high,” the fact that India had not suspended travel with Britain in September, needs to be taken into account.
“If you look at the data from Holland, they have said that there were persons who reported this...
