The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) tweet made on Saturday reads, In a first, India has successfully isolated and cultured the UK-variant of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The tweet by the country’s apex medical body reads, “UK-variant of the virus, with all signature changes, is now successfully isolated and cultured at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) from the clinical specimens collected from UK-returnees". 

ICMR also informs that the virus causing Covid-19, was being tracked through the countrywide network of ICMR-laboratories since early days of the epidemic in India. As per the ICMR statement, no country has yet reported successful isolation and culture of the UK variant. ICMR further added, vero cell lines were used by the scientists of ICMR-NIV to culture the UK-variant of the virus. 

India has reported 29 Covid 19 positive cases of the new coronavirus variant, that is spreading rapidly around Britain and other countries, within five days of tracing its first such infection. The new United Kingdom variant genome of Sars-CoV-2 – B.1.1.7, which is much more infectious than the Predecessor, has prompted comprehensive contact tracing for co-travellers, family members and others of those who have travelled to the UK in the last 38 days.

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