70% of PGIMER samples sent to NCDC confirm UK variant: Director

PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram on Thursday said that 70 per cent of the total samples sent to National Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC), New Delhi in March, 2021 had UK Variant of Covid-19 while 20 per cent of the samples had 681 H mutant of Covid-19.

The Director said, “The Department of Virology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, had sent 60 positive samples of Covid-19 to NCDC, New Delhi in the month of March 2021. It was found that 70 per cent of the samples had UK variants of Covid-19, one sample was found to have double mutation. 681H mutant of Covid-19 was observed in 20 per cent of the samples”. Majority of the samples were from Chandigarh.

Dr Jagat Ram added with the Covid-19 cases surging at a rate much faster in the second wave than the first wave, it was being assumed that the UK variant could be responsible for this faster.

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/70--of-pgimer-samples-sent-to-ncdc-confirm-uk-variant--director.html