UK returnee, 3 contacts tests positive for coronavirus in Kakinada

Kakinada: While the people of city were gearing up to celebrate the New Year with friends and relatives, coronavirus came back to haunt them as a UK returnee tested positive to the new strains of the deadly virus.

According to officials, the UK returnee youth and three of his contacts have tested positive for Covid-19 virus in the city. The officials sent the samples of the four members of the family to CCMB (Centre for Cellular Microbiology) Lab at Hyderabad to find out whether they have been infected with the new variant of the virus.

According to sources, the youth (32) of Venkatanagar here returned from UK on December 17. When the Medical and Health personnel traced out the youth and took samples, he was tested Covid-19 positive and his primary contacts – his father, mother and sister. However, the officials were not sure whether his family members were already infected with the virus and contacted to the youth after he came here.

The district Medical and Health Officer KVS Gowreeswara Rao said that the youth came to Kakinada from the UK 12 days back. When the officials tried to traced out the UK returnees, he was found, and covid-19 tests were done on him and his family members.

The youth and his father were admitted to Government General Hospital on Sunday and they have been in isolation ward in the hospital. His mother and sister are in home-quarantine.

According to sources, there were 114 persons returned from the UK in this month. When 111 were tested, two persons got covid-19 positive. The addresses of three persons were not traced out. The police are still searching for them.

Gowreeswara Rao said that there is no need to worry over the new strain as it is same as the covid-19 and the vaccine will also come for it. He advised the people not to panic with new strain or covid-19, but the people should continue wearing masks, taking sanitisation of hands and washing hands with soap water and maintain physical distance when they go out. He said that covid-19 protocols should be followed to keep away from the virus.