Hyderabad: Two UK returnees, one each from Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh, have tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus B 1.1.7, which was first reported in the United Kingdom. The genome sequencing of the samples of both the individuals was taken-up at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

Overall, six UK travellers from across India have tested positive for the new mutant strain SARS-CoV-2 out of the 114 samples tested, according to a press release from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), New Delhi on Tuesday.

Of the six individuals who tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, three tested positive in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in CCMB, Hyderabad and one in NIV, Pune.

The one positive UK returnee in Telangana State is admitted in an exclusive isolation ward in a Government hospital. Close contacts of the positive person are already in quarantine and their health status is being closely monitored, State health officials on Tuesday said.

The UK variant of the coronavirus has already been identified in more than 20 countries including UK, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Germany, Iceland, Belgium, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, Israel, Lebanon and India.