New Covid strain: India successfully cultures and isolates the UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday said that India successfully cultured the new viral strain on the horizon (UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2). 

ICMR tweeted,"India successfully cultures the new viral strain on the horizon (UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2)."

Here's what ICMR tweeted:

• SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing covid-19, was being tracked through countrywide network of ICMR-laboratories since early days of the epidemic in India.
• UK-variant of the virus, with all signature changes is now successfully isolates and cultured at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) from the cliniccal specimens collected from UK-returnees
• No country has yet reported succesful isolation and culture of the UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2
• Vero cell lines were used by the Scientists of ICMR-NIV to culture the UKvariant of the virus.
  
  

  India successfully cultures the new viral strain on the horizon (UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2). #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19#IndiaFightsCOVID19#CoronaUpdatesInIndia#COVID19#Unite2FightCorona@MoHFW_INDIA@PIB_India@DrHVoffice@drharshvardhan@AshwiniKChoubey@icmr_nivpic.twitter.com/vaCMQMSHOJ

  — ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) January 2, 2021