Health Ministry issues SOP for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response for new variant of SARS-CoV 2 Virus

The Ministry of Health has issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response for a new variant of SARS- CoV 2 virus, which has been reported by the Government of the United Kingdom to the World Health Organization (WHO). This variant is estimated by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) to be more transmissible and affecting the younger population. 

This variant is defined by a set of 17 changes or mutations. One of the most significant mutations is in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor. Changes in this part of the spike protein may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.

 

The SOP describes the activities to be undertaken at the point of entry and in the community for all International passengers who have traveled from or transited through the UK in the past four weeks from 25th November to till date. Any reference to testing in this SOP implies RT-PCR testing only. The flights from the UK are suspended temporarily from 23rd December till 31st December or till further orders. All the passengers traveling from or transiting through airports in the UK and disembarking in India during the intervening period from 21st to 23rd December would be subjected to an RT-PCR test on arrival. 

In the case of a



positive sample, it is recommended that a spike gene-based RT-PCR test should also be performed. Passengers testing positive will be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in a separate isolation unit coordinated by the respective State Health Authorities. Necessary action to send the samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, or any other appropriate lab for genomic sequencing will be initiated at the facility level. If the genomic sequencing indicates the presence of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 then the patient will be kept in a separate isolation unit and treated as per the clinical protocol.

 

Those who are found negative on testing with RT-PCR at the airport would be advised quarantine at home. Prior to check-in, the traveler will be explained about this SOP and In-flight announcements must also be made. Those international travelers from the UK who arrived in India for the last month will be contacted by District Surveillance Officers and monitored in the community. State Governments and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme will ensure that all the contacts of those travelers from the UK or transiting through the UK in the last four weeks will be traced and monitored. They will also be tested as per protocol and contacts of positive cases would be subjected to institutional quarantine in separate quarantine centers for effective isolation and monitoring.