Telangana on high alert

Hyderabad: With reports from the Union Health Ministry that two new strains of the deadly Covid-19 virus has been found in Telangana, Maharashtra and Kerala, the State government has put the officials on high alert.

Not just that, it has also decided not to issue health bulletin on day-to-day basis from now.

On Tuesday, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul in New Delhi said that two new variants -- N440K and E484K -- have been found in the new cases that were being reported from these States.

Officials of the State Health department said that all the districts have been alerted and the authorities have been instructed to conduct medical tests to the people who visit the hospitals with the corona like symptoms.

"The sample collections will be increased in the districts particularly in old Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda and Hyderabad, where the number of positive cases were reported in the recent months".

Sources said that the government has already consulted the National Institute of Virology and the reputed research centres like CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology) to ascertain the intensity of the new variants.

State Director for Health G Srinivas said: "There was no need for panic as everything was under control and the necessary measures would be taken to curb the spread of the virus in case the number of positive cases go up in the coming days."

The media bulletin released on Monday said that a total of 14,744 samples were collected out of which 114 were tested positive.