Gujarat to mandate RT-PCR test for travellers landing from affected countries

To combact the new strain of COVID-19 virus, Gujarat initiates safety measures.

Ahmedabad: Globe is preparing itself to combat the new COVID-19 Virus strain - "Omricron," (B.1.1.529) which is termed by World Health Organisation  (WHO). To fight against the same, the Gujarat government today mandated RT-PCR testing for travellers landing at the airport from a host of countries, including South Africa.

According to the Gujarat officials, passengers arriving from Europe, the UK, Brazil, South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Zimbabwe will be required to undergo compulsory Covid testing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing an important meeting, attended by top government officials, on the COVID-19 and vaccination situation in the country.

According to the Govt. officials, the meeting has been scheduled concerning the rise of the new variant of COVID-19 - B.1.1.529. The virus has been red-flagged by scientists over an alarmingly high number of mutations that might make the virus more resistant to vaccines, increase transmissibility and lead to more severe symptoms.

The B.1.1.529 variant - first detected in South Africa during this week and since in Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel, and Belgium - is believed to have 50 mutations, including over 30 on the spike protein and ten on the receptor-binding domain.

The new variant is termed as the most troubling.

The spike protein is the target of most current COVID-19 vaccines and is what the virus uses to unlock access to our body's cells. The researchers are still trying to confirm whether this makes it more transmissible or lethal than earlier variants and if existing vaccines can protect against the strain.