India detects South African, Brazilian COVID-19 variants
Government is now considering mandating RT-PCR tests for all people coming from Brazil and S.africa, as is being done for those flying in from the UK; DCW sends notice to police over Disha Ravi’s arrest
India has detected both the South African and Brazilian coronavirus variants and people returning from those countries may be tested more aggressively, health officials said on Tuesday.
The South African variant was detected in four people last month and the Brazilian one in one person this month, they said, adding that the strains can more easily infect a person’s lungs than the UK mutation.
The Indian government is now considering mandating RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests for all people coming from Brazil and South Africa, as is being done for those flying in from the United Kingdom. India has so far reported 187 cases of infection with the UK variant.
“There are no direct flights from South Africa or Brazil, so the health ministry and the civil aviation ministry are in touch on the steps to be taken on the mater,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told a news conference.
India’s COVID-19 cases rose by 9,121 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 10.93 million, second only to the tally of the United States.
Deaths rose by 81 to 155,813.
“In India, the South African strain of Covid-19 has been detected in four returnees from South Africa. All travellers and their contacts tested and quarantined,” the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) director general Dr Balram Bhargava said during the Union health ministry’s press briefing.
Listing out further information about the returnees with the South African variant, Bhargava said that one was from Angola, one from Tanzania and the remaining two were from South Africa.
Apart from this, the country had also detected the Brazilian strain of the virus, Bhargava said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sent a notice to the deputy police commissioner of the cybercrime cell over climate activist Disha Ravi’s arrest, news agency reported on Tuesday.
The commission has asked the Delhi Police to provide a copy of the first information of report (FIR), reasons for allegedly not producing Ravi before a local court for transit remand and detailed action taken report, the agency added.
Delhi Police commissioner SN Srivastava, whose force is under a firestorm of criticism from opposition leaders and other activists, had said earlier in the day that all procedures were followed in Ravi’s arrest for her alleged involvement in preparing a toolkit that details support for farmers protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws.
“As far as Disha’s arrest is concerned, it was done as per the procedures. The law does not differentiate between a 22-year-old and a 50-year-old. She was produced before a court which sent her to five-day police custody,” Srivastava told reporters.
He argued that it is incorrect to say that there were lapses in the arrest. The Delhi Police commissioner said that investigation into the ‘toolkit’ document case is underway.
“I cannot divulge the details of the case as its investigation is premature. As things will be clear everyone will be notified.” Srivastava said.
A Delhi court on Sunday had remanded Disha to five days of police custody following her arrest from Bengaluru in connection with allegedly spreading a “toolkit” related to the farmers’ protest. She was arrested last week.
Delhi Police have said that Ravi is a key conspirator in the “toolkit” case as she had admited during the initial interrogation to editing, adding some things in the online document and spreading it further.
Several political leaders have slammed the Delhi Police for Ravi’s arrest and said it was “unwarranted harassment, unfortunate and shocking.”
Congress leader P. Chidambaram had said, “The Indian state must be standing on very shaky foundations if Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old student of Mount Carmel College and a climate activist, has become a threat to the nation.”
“The main aim of the toolkit was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government. The Toolkit sought to artificially amplify the fake news and other falsehoods and also sought to precipitate action on 26th January,” the police statement read.