Health Ministry to meet today after mutant Coronavirus strain spreads rapidly in UK

A surge in infection rate caused by a new variant of Coronavirus has led to millions entering a stringent new stay-at-home lockdown in UK from Sunday, with n-essential shops and businesses w closed. This has led to an alarming situation in countries across globe with several EU nations banning flights from United Kingdom. 

'Studying strains of Coronavirus very closely'

Taking action, Union Health Ministry has called an urgent meeting of its Joint Monitoring Group on Monday to discuss emergence of a mutated variant of Coronavirus in UK.  British government on Saturday warned that potent new strain of virus was "out of control". 

" Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) chaired by Director-General of Health Services (DGHS) will hold a meeting on Monday morning to discuss issue of mutated variant of Coronavirus reported from UK. WHO's India representative Dr Roderico H Ofrin, who is also a member of JMG, is likely to participate in meeting," a source told news ncy PTI.

"As far as India is concerned, re is major change or mutation in Covid strain yet. We are studying strains of Coronavirus very closely in our country. But, yes, we also keep a track of whatever is happening in world related to variants of COVID-19 strain," ANI quoted an official as saying.

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson anunced new rules at a briefing from 10 Downing Street on Saturday evening, which means a planned five-day “Christmas bubble” of relaxed rules has been cancelled in favour of a new Tier 4 level to current three-tier lockdown system to try and control surge in infections being caused by new mutation of dely virus.

"It seems that spre is w being driven by new variant of virus," Johnson said. "We have alerted World Health Organisation and are continuing to analyse available data to improve our understanding," said Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England. "re is current evidence to suggest new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments although urgent work is underway to confirm this," he said.

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(With inputs from ncies)