KARACHI: Three cases of the highly infectious coronavirus variant that emerged in the UK have been detected in Karachi according to the Sindh Health Department on Tuesday.
In a statement of Twitter, the Sindh Health Department confirmed that the new coronavirus (COVID-19) strain has been identified in three passengers who recently returned from the UK.
“The Health Department of Sindh took 12 COVID samples of UK returnees for genotyping out of which 6 were positive and 3 showed the new variant of the COVID virus in the first phase.” the statement read.
“The genotyping showed 95% match of the new variant from the UK” the statement added. “These samples will go through another phase of genotyping.”
Meanwhile the health department has started contact tracing of these patients and placing everyone in isolation to avoid further spread of the new UK coronavirus variant.
Karachi (29.12.2020): Samples of 3 UK returnees show a 95% match to the new Corona Virus variant from UK in the first phase of Genotyping. #SindhHealth pic.twitter.com/4UUTSMTOQa
— Health and Population Welfare Department, Sindh (@SindhHealthDpt) December 29, 2020
During the last 24 hours, there have been 1,776 new coronavirus cases reported across the country while 63 more people have lost their lives to the deadly infection.
This brings Pakistan’s death toll to 9,992 while the tally of countrywide cases has reached 425,494 according to the data provided by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).
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