Lucknow: Traces of a new strain of coronavirus were found in two people from the state who recently returned from the United Kingdom, an Uttar Pradesh official said on Wednesday (December 30).
The two cases were found in Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar districts, and samples of their contacts are also being taken, Additional Chief Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad said.
Tests of those returning from the United Kingdom after December 9 are continuing and till now around 2,500 samples have been sent to the labs, he said, adding that so far 10 people who returned from the UK have tested positive.
Their gene sequencing is being done to ascertain the kind of virus, he said, adding that as many as 2,112 people have tested negative.
Prasad said that during the upcoming Magh Mela in Allahabad and Sant Samagam in Vrindavan, people will have to bring a negative coronavirus certificate.
Meanwhile, 13 fresh COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state, taking the toll in the viral disease to 8,352. Total cases in Uttar Pradesh have touched 5,84,966, with 1,043 new cases.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday (December 30), the UP government said that of the 13 fresh deaths, two were reported from Varanasi, while of the 1,043 fresh cases, state capital Lucknow reported 187 cases.
In the past 24 hours, 1,202 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the disease in the state, while so far 5,62,459 patients in the state have recovered.
There are 14,155 active COVID-19 cases in the state, the statement said.
In the past 24 hours, over 1.52 lakh samples in the state have been tested, while more than 2.37 crore samples have been tested so far.