UK returnee tests positive for COVID-19 in Odisha

A 34-year-old returnee from the UK has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar, informed the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation on Thursday.

As per the BMC "The man reached Bhubaneswar from the UK on 18 December and tested COVID positive in private lab. He was shifted to government-sponsored COVID Hospital immediately"

"The person has mild flu-like symptoms, confirmatory test on Spike Genome Sequencing is being done through RMRC to ascertain the COVID strain, contract tracing has been already completed as per government guidelines," the BMC added

Earlier, Airport Executive Director Gautam Ray told that authorities of Biju Patnaik International Airport have asked all airline operators to share the details of the passengers who have recently returned from foreign countries and per new SOP of the government has been placed at the Airport.

He further stated that the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has set up special kiosks for the screening of the travellers.

A more transmissible strain of COVID-19 is reported to have caused a spike in infections in the United Kingdom. However, government officials have said that no such strain has been reported in India so far.

( With inputs from ANI )